Practical Magic
by Emor92
Summary: C/O Supernatural and Practical Magic. Sally and Gillian Owens are sisters and hunters.... with a dark family secret. What happens when their paths cross with the Winchesters? Will they accept the girls or be horrified by their past? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**So here it is, my first fanfic! Please review and tell me what you think!**

_Myrtle Beach, South Carolina _

_19 years ago_

As Regina Owens-Dalton gazed at her family she felt truly happy. Relaxing on a picnic blanket, on a sandy beach, with the waves lapping gently at the shore a few feet away, she watched as her husband picked up their two little girls and twirled them around. The noise of their laughter and screams of delight carried across the distance between them. She smiled as she watched them all race towards her and laughed as they collapsed in the sand beside the blanket.

"Mommy, look what I've got," said the older red-headed one. She held up a seashell for her mother to inspect.

"Wow, Gilly-bean, that's beautiful," her mother replied kissing her nose.

"Come on, Sal. Let's go find some more," Gillian said, grasping the younger ones hand.

"Okay, Gilly," the brown-haired Sally said, toddling along with her big sister.

Jack sat down beside his wife and took her hand in his. They laughed as they watched their daughters run, screaming into the waves.

"I love you, Genie," Jack said, leaning down to kiss her.

"I love you, too, Jack," she replied smiling up at him.

Jack looked up. "I'd better follow them before they go too far," he said.

She nodded and he got up and began to run after the two girls. She watched him as he splashed into the sea after the two girls, laughing to herself. She lay back and looked up at the sparkling blue sky above her. She closed her eyes and smiled inwardly. This was what she had wanted her whole life - a husband who loved her and a beautiful family, far from the whispers and stares she was so used to back home.

Her mind turned back to Provincetown, remembering her childhood years with her two older sisters. She missed them constantly, that was the only thing she regretted, not being able to see them anymore. For she swore to herself that she would never go back there, never let Jack know the truth about her.

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like an insect chirping. Her eyes snapped open and she frowned slightly. Pushing herself up, she spun around, wildly searching for the source of the noise.

"Oh no," she said to herself, fear setting in.

"Please, no, no," she continued , still staring around her, frantically scanning the ground.

She tried to convince herself that the sound she was hearing was not what she thought it was. The steady chirping continued, and she stood up, covering her ears with her hands, trying to block it out.

She knew what that sound was. It was a sound she had been dreading ever since she had first realised she loved Jack, the worry inside a constant weight. She knew that that was the sound of the death-watch beetle, and the man she loved was doomed to die. She watched, with tears in her eyes, as Jack emerged from the water, his hair dripping, carrying the two girls, once again, in his arms.

"No," she whispered to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Provincetown, Massachusetts_

_A few months later_

The two little girls stopped and stared in awe at the beautiful house before them - their new home. It was certainly spectacular. Perched on the edge of a cliff, the sparkling waves of the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the rock less than 20 feet below, the large house commanded attention to any passers-by. Not that there was many. The road leading to the house dead-ended where the girls stood now so there was no through traffic.

Sally's eyes widened as she took in the house. It was large but certainly not large enough to be considered a mansion. An ivy-covered porch wound it's way around the wooden house. The sun shone brightly on the white walls and gleamed off the windows. Sally's gaze was drawn upwards towards what looked suspiciously like a small light-house. The house seemed to have been built around it. The house had three storey's with the light-house peaking to a height of five storey's.

Gillian reached down and grasped her sister's hand, grabbing the large suitcase beside her in the other. Hefting it up, she walked through the gate which was set in the white picket fence and up the small paved path leading up the porch steps.

She stopped suddenly as the door opened, causing little Sally to stumble into her. Regaining her balance, Gillian looked up at the three people standing before her, in the shade of the porch roof.

The first woman smiled down at them.. She looked to be around 35, her long brown hair tumbling in gentle waves past her shoulders. The second woman looked slightly younger, her strawberry blonde hair was coiled up and secured by a bun at the nape of her neck. Her hand was resting on the shoulder of the young girl standing beside her. Gillian immediately noticed the resemblance between the two but the girls hair was a golden blonde colour.

The three hurried down the steps towards the little girls.

"Hello, my darlings," the dark haired one said, as she stopped in front of them. She knelt down, hitching up the skirts of the colourful dress she was wearing, until she was eye-level with Gillian.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked kindly, tucking a stray hair behind Gillian's ear.

Gillian nodded slightly, smiling shyly. "Aunt Francis?" she asked.

The woman beamed back, nodding vigorously. "Yes," she replied.

She turned towards the other woman. "And this is your Aunt Jetty," she continued, waving her hand.

Gillian nodded again. "You're Mommy's sisters," she agreed.

Francis' smile faded slightly and sadness appeared on her face. "Yes, we are," she said softly.

Jetty stepped forward. "This is your cousin, Stephanie, my daughter," she explained.

Gillian looked at the girl and smiled shyly back. "Hi! I'm 12. What ages are you?" Stephanie asked, standing forward and smiling widely.

"I'm 6," Gillian replied. All eyes turned to the dark haired little girl beside her, waiting for her to reply. "3," came the quiet response.

Francis looked back at her sister, a worried look on her face. "Sally?" she asked the little girl.

Sally looked up, her blue eyes glinting in the sun. "Do you want to come see your room?" Francis asked, holding out a hand for Sally take.

Sally looked down at the out-stretched hand and then to the kind face of her aunts and cousins. They all smiled encouragingly at her. Her gaze travelled past them, to the house and then to the sea. After a moment, she finally lifted her gaze to her sister, standing beside her.

Gillian seemed to know what Sally was thinking. She leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"It's okay, Sal. We're going to live here now, with Aunt Francis and Aunt Jetty and Stephanie. Everything is going to be fine. I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to you, I promise" she said softly, so the others wouldn't hear. Pulling back, Gillian looked at Sally.

Sally stared back into her sister's eyes, the exact same blue hue as her own and nodded slightly. Turning back to her aunts, a smile broke out across her face. Reaching out she clasped her aunts hand and nodded. They all breathed an audible sigh of relief.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

_Jericho, California_

_Present day_

"Okay, ten men have disappeared in the last 20 years on this stretch of road that we are on right now," Sally told her sister.

Gillian looked out the window as she drove her car and said "Make that 11."

She pointed out the window and Sally, following her gaze saw what she meant. Patrol cars and police officers were surrounding a bridge around a small blue car. "Okay, then, time to work our magic," Gillian said, winking, pulling over and hopping out of the car.

They walked over to the officer who seemed to be in charge. "Um, excuse me officer, we're with the local newspaper. Can you tell us what happened?" Sally asked him.

"I'm sorry ladies. The details of this investigation are not being told to the press at this point in time," the man replied, attempting to walk around him.

"Oh, come on, surely the public have the right to know if a serial killer is on the loose," Gillian said, stepping in front of him.

"Serial killer? What gave you that idea?" the man asked her looking confused.

"Well, this isn't the first disappearance in this particular area, is it? Haven't ten men all gone missing before this?" Sally said.

"Look, officer," Gillian said, standing closer to him and looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes, her blue eyes glinting. "Off the record, what do you think happened?"

He stared down at her, slightly nervous at her close proximity and gulped. Sally rolled her eyes at her sister from behind the man's back.

"Well, uh, really, we don't know. Serial murder, kidnapping ring but I know the rumour mill will be turning when word of this gets out," he said.

"What do you mean?" Sally asked him.

"Well, a small town like this, everyone knows the legend of the phantom hitch-hiker," he said to them.

"Well, we're from out of town," Gillian told him.

"I thought you said you worked for a local newspaper," he said staring at them suspiciously. "What did you say your names were?" he asked them.

"Uh, we didn't," Gillian said.

"Thank you for your time, officer," Sally said to him as they slowly backed away.

Turning away, Sally looked at her sister. "Way to go," she hissed.

"Oh don't worry about it, we weren't going to get anything else from him anyway. So, this is definitely up our alley," Gillian said.

"Uh huh," Sally replied, "now we just gotta find out about this phantom hitch-hiker." They were walking back to the car when Gillian nudged Sally.

"Cute guys, ten o'clock," she said, nodding in the direction they had just come.

Sally turned around and saw who Gillian was talking about. Two men dressed in jeans and shirts were talking to the same police officer they had been and Sally saw them flashing badges to them. She had to admit that Gillian had a point but she didn't let her sister know.

"They're cops," Sally told her sister as they reached the car.

"I do love a man in uniform," Gillian said wistfully.

"They're not in uniform," Sally pointed out.

"Oh, burst my bubble, why don't you?" Gillian replied, shaking her head.

"Where to now?" she asked.

"Well, seeing as you broke my laptop, we'll have to go to the library to find information," Sally said sarcastically.

"Hey, I told you that was an accident," Gillian replied.

"I'll go ask around about this local legend, too," Gillian continued, sitting into the car. Sally, taking one glance back at the bridge, followed suit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"The phantom hitch-hiker? Yeah I know the story." Sally and Gillian were standing on the street outside the library. They had stopped a man who looked like a he was a local and were asking him about the legend.

"It's kind of a local legend. This one girl, she killed herself out on Centennial, like, decades ago. Well, supposedly, she's still out there. She hitch-hikes and whoever picks her up…. Well, they disappear, forever," he told them.

They nodded their heads and Gillian shot Sally a significant look. "Okay, thank you for your time," Sally said. They turned and went into the small town library.

They reached the computer and as they waited for it to boot up, they began to discuss the case. "Okay, so it seems like vengeful spirit activity. The one thing that I can't figure out is the connection between the victims. I mean, none of them have anything in common, besides the fact they were all men," Gillian said.

"Well, maybe we'll find something on here," Sally suggested, gesturing at the computer screen.

"Okay, death's on Centennial," Sally typed in. "Hmm, couple of things," she said, scrolling down the page.

"Wait, try that one," Gillian said, pointing to an article. Sally clicked on it to open it.

"Constance Welch. Jumped off Centennial Bridge in 1981. She rang authorities an hour before this and told them that she found her two little children, drowned in the bath tub," Sally read aloud.

"1981. A year before the first disappearance. Anything else?" Gillian asked.

"Well, her husband might still be alive. He was 30 when it happened," Sally said.

"Okay, we'll go talk to him. Any ideas on what it may be?" Gillian said.

"I don't know. But remember in Phoenix , when we dealt with the woman in white?" Sally said.

"Yeah. When they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them and they murdered their children in a fit of temporary insanity. Then they took their own lives so now their spirits are cursed and if they find an unfaithful man, they kill him and he is never seen again," Gillian said.

"Exactly," Sally said, nodding her head.

They looked up as two people sat down at a computer opposite from them. Sally realised that they were the same two guys that were talking to the cop. Gillian stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go back to the motel. We can head back over to the bridge when it gets dark," she said.

As they walked out, Sally turned and looked at what the two guys were reading on the screen. She was surprised to see that they were reading the same article her and Gillian had been. The darker haired man glanced up at her. She quickly turned when Gillian called out her name.

"Sally," she said, standing in the doorway. "Just a coincidence," Sally thought to herself as she followed her sister outside.

xxxxxx

Later that evening, Sally and Gillian pulled up beside the bridge where the latest victim had disappeared. Night had fallen and the place was dark. The crime scene tape had been cleared and the small blue car had been taken away since earlier that day.

"Looks like we've got company," Gillian said, frowning slightly as she stared at the black car beside them. "Be careful," she warned her sister, as they stepped out of the car.

"Who would be here at this time of night?" Sally said quietly.

They looked down the bridge and saw two men standing on it. "Hey," Gillian called out.

They both turned, looks of surprise crossing their faces. Sally recognised them instantly.

"They're the two guys from earlier," Sally whispered to Gillian.

"Who are you?" the man with light brown hair asked.

"Who are you?" Gillian replied, suspiciously.

"I'm Dean Winchester. This is my brother, Sam," the guy replied.

"Gillian Owens," Gillian said. "And my sister, Sally," she added, indicating Sally.

"What are you doing out here?" Sam asked them.

"We could ask you the same thing," Sally replied.

Suddenly, Sally noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey," she cried. There was a woman, wearing a long white dress, standing at the railing of the bridge. She recognised her as Constance Welch from the photo on the article. Everyone turned and looked at the spirit as she stepped off the bridge.

They all ran to the spot where she had jumped. "Where'd she go?" Dean asked, as they stared in the murky water below. There was no sign of the ghost.

They all turned at the sound of a car starting behind them. The headlights turned on in Dean's car. "What the…?" he muttered.

"Whose driving your car?" Gillian asked him. He didn't reply, but pulled his car keys out of his pocket, dangling them on his finger.

Suddenly, the car started to drive, heading straight towards them.

"Run," Sam shouted and they all turned and began to sprint down the bridge. The car got closer and closer until it almost was upon them.

With no other choice, they all turned and dived over the side of the bridge.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Sally grabbed onto the railing of the bridge, hanging on tight as she stared at the water below.

She looked up at Sam's outstretched hand and grabbed it. He pulled her up onto the bridge. "Thanks," she said gratefully standing up.

She looked around, worriedly. "Gillian?" she called out.

"I'm here," her sister replied, waving from the end of the railing.

"Dean?" Sam shouted, staring into the water. They all looked down. "Dean?" Sam shouted again, louder this time, worry edging into his voice

Then, they saw a shape down below, crawling from out of the water. "What?" Dean shouted back, angrily.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked him. Dean lay on his back, covered in mud, almost camouflaged with the mud around him in the dark night, staring up at them.

"I'm super," he panted, giving them the okay sign. Sam chuckled softly as Gillian climbed back over the railing of the bridge.

xxxxxx

"Is your car all right?" Gillian asked Dean, after they had all got safely back onto the bridge. Dean slammed the hood shut.

"Yeah, whatever she did to it, it seems alright now," Dean replied leaning against it.

"That Constance chick, what a BITCH," he shouted out.

"So, you guys are hunters?" Sally asked them.

"Yeah," Sam replied, nodding.

"Well, she doesn't want us digging around, that's for sure," Sally said.

Gillian sniffed, her facial expression turning to one of disgust. "What is that smell?" she said, grimacing.

"It smells like a toilet," she continued. She looked over at Dean and frowned. He caught her looking.

"There's sewerage in that river," he informed her sarcastically. She just nodded.

There was an awkward silence.

Then they all burst out laughing.

"So, do you wanna go get something to eat? We can talk about this whole Constance Welch thing?" Sally suggested.

"Yeah, okay that's a good idea," Dean agreed.

"But I gotta go take a shower or something," he added.

"That's for sure," Gillian said.

"Right, where are you staying?" she asked.

"We haven't checked in anywhere yet," Sam explained.

"Where are you guys staying?" Dean asked them.

"A motel back in town," Sally replied.

"I think it's the only one," Gillian told them.

"Sounds good," Dean said.

xxxxxx

Half an hour later, Sally and Gillian were in their room waiting for Sam and Dean. By this stage the sun was beginning to rise. "So, they seem like nice guys," Gillian commented.

Sally nodded in agreement. She was sitting beside the window, gazing out across the motel parking lot.

"Except that Dean guy seems a bit, I dunno, sarcastic or something but still," she said, glancing at her sister.

Sally, again nodded her head slowly, in reply.

"I mean, we rarely run into other hunters, you know, we should team up just this once, don't you think?" Gillian continued.

Sally nodded her head, absent-mindedly, still staring out the window.

"And you know, someday I want to buy a rocket and fly to the moon, too," Gillian said, frowning at Sally impatiently.

"I'm listening," Sally said, "I'm just looking at these cops. They're asking the motel owner something. He's pointing at a picture."

Gillian strode over and looked in the direction Sally was staring.

There were two police officers talking to the motel owner and one seemed to be holding out a picture for him to look at. The motel owner nodded and pointed to a man just coming out of one of the hotel rooms.

Sally and Gillian looked over and saw that it was Dean.

They watched as he saw the cops heading towards him and whipped out his phone and said something into it before turning to face the two cops coming over to him.

The first cop pointed to the room Dean had just left and the second cop began to head towards it.

He shook his head when he came back and the first cop proceeded to arrest Dean, slamming him facedown onto the hood of his car.

When they took him away, Gillian turned to Sally and gave her an incredulous look. "What was all that about?" she said.

"They impersonated officers earlier on. That's a federal offence," Sally replied.

"He must have called Sam to warn him," Gillian added.

"Now what?" Sally asked.

"Well, let's call Sam and see if there's anything we can do to help," Gillian suggested, flipping open her phone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Well, I'll deal with Dean later but right now I'm going to go talk to Joseph Welch, Constance's husband," Sam told them.

The three of them were in town now.

"Well, I'll go and help Dean if you two want to interview the guy. I'm no good at all that pretend reporter stuff," Gillian told them.

Sam nodded in agreement.

"What are you going to do about Dean?" Sally asked him.

"Fake 911 call or something. Is your brother good at getting out of tights situations?" Gillian asked Sam.

He nodded, smiling slightly.

"Okay then, I'll see you later," she said, turning and getting into her car.

Sam and Sally sat into the Impala and Sam started it. They began to head in the direction of Joseph Welch's house.

"So, how did you two become hunters?" Sally asked him.

"After our mom died, when I was a baby, our dad began hunting. She was killed in a fire and our dad reckons a demon was responsible so he's trying to find the damn thing. That's actually why we're here. Our dad is missing and me and Dean are trying to find him. This is the last place he was," Sam explained.

"What about you?" he asked her.

"Pretty much the same. Our mom and dad died when I was three so we went to live with our aunts in Massachusetts. They're hunters too so we kinda grew up with it," Sally told him.

"What about you? Where are you from?" she asked.

"Before my mother died, we lived in Lawrence, Kansas but we travelled around when we were kids so we had no fixed address. Right now I'm in Stanford and I live with my girlfriend on campus. So did you go to school?" Sam asked.

"I went to NYU but I dropped out after my boyfriend died a couple of years ago," she told him.

"I'm sorry," Sam said looking at her.

She smiled back at him and shook her head.

"I'm okay now. It's something you can never forget but I've moved on with my life and I'm in a good place," she explained to him.

He nodded his head in reply.

Sally looked up as they turned down a small dirt lane.

"This is it," Sam told her.

xxxxxx

Sam raised his hand and knocked on the door of the ram-shackled building they were standing in front of. A haggard looking man, wearing a base-ball cap opened the door.

"Are you Joseph Welch?" Sally asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding his head. Sam handed him a photograph. Sally glanced at it and saw it was of a dark haired man and two little boys sitting on the hood of a car, taken about 15 years ago. She guessed it was Sam and Dean with their father.

"Did this man come to see you in the last couple of days?" Sam asked him.

Joseph looked down at it and nodded. "Yeah, he was older but that's him. He came back three or four days ago. Said he was a reporter," he replied.

Sam nodded and said "that's right. We're working on a story together."

The man looked at them. "Well, I dunno what the hell kinda story your working on. The questions he asked me…" he told them.

"About your late wife, Constance?" Sally asked.

"He asked me where she was buried!" he exclaimed.

Sam and Sally both nodded. "And where is that again?" Sam asked.

"What? I gotta go through this twice?" the man asked, sounding surprised.

"It's fact checking. If you don't mind," Sally told him.

"In a plot, by my old place on Brackenridge," he told them.

"Why did you move?" Sam questioned.

"I'm not going to live in the house my children died," he answered.

"Mr. Welch, did you ever marry again?" Sally then asked him.

"No way," he said, shaking his head. "Constance, she was the love of my life. Prettiest woman I ever knew," he continued.

"So, you had a happy marriage?" Sally asked. He stared at her for a moment, a wary look on his face.

"Definitely," he finally replied.

Sam and Sally glanced at one another and nodded. "Well, that should do it," Sam said.

"Thank you for your time," Sally added. They began to walk back towards the car when suddenly, Sam stopped with the keys in his hand.

"Mr. Welch, did you ever hear of a Woman in White?" he asked him.

The man, who had turned and was heading back to his house, swung around and looked at Sam, a puzzled look on his face. "A what?" he asked.

"A Woman in White? Or sometimes Weeping Woman?" Sam continued. The man still looked confused.

"It's a ghost story. Well, it's more of a phenomenon, really," Sam said as he walked back towards the man. Sally stayed standing beside the car.

"Um, they're spirits. They've been sighted for hundreds of years, dozens of places, Hawaii, Mexico, lately in Arizona and Indiana. All these are different women, you understand, but all share the same story," he said.

Joseph had, up until then, been standing in front of Sam but then he turned from him, shaking his head. "Boy, I don't care much for nonsense," he muttered.

Sam began to follow him. "You see, when they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them and these women, basically suffering from temporary insanity, murdered their children," he told him.

Joseph turned to look at him. "Then, once they realised what they had done, they took their own lives, so now, their sprits are cursed, walking back roads, waterways and if they find an unfaithful man, they kill him and that man is never seen again," Sam finished.

"You think- you think that has something to do with Constance, you smartass?" Joseph asked him, taking a step towards him, anger etched on his face.

Sam stood his ground. "You tell me," he replied.

"Maybe- maybe I made some mistakes, but no matter what I did, Constance, she would've never killed her own children. Now you get the hell out of here and you don't come back," he said, his voice shaking with anger and his eyes welling up with tears.

He stared at them both for a moment longer before turning and walking back towards his house.

Sam looked back at Sally before heading for the car.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile, Gillian stood around the corner from the police station where Dean was being held. She dialled 911 and cleared her throat.

"911, how may we help?" a female voice asked.

"Oh my God, I just heard a gunshot. The police need to come right away," Gillian shouted into the phone putting on a high pitched voice.

"What is your location, please, ma'am?" the voice asked.

Gillian gave the name of a road she had passed on her way to the operator before hanging up. She waited 5 minutes until she saw a number of officers running out the door and speed off in a patrol car. She stepped into a side alley as she watched them, waiting for them to disappear.

Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her and she turned around. She saw Dean climbing down from a ladder attached to the wall. He jumped the last 8 feet or so and began to walk towards her.

"You made that call?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Come on, we're meeting Sally and Sam back at the motel," she explained and he followed her towards her car.

"Whoa, is this your car?" he asked her, when they stopped in front of an old style red car.

"Yep," Gillian replied, tapping the hood.

"What is it? A '64 Buick Riviera?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it is," she said proudly. "I'm guessing you like old cars considering you have that Impala. What is that? A '67?" she asked.

He nodded in admiration. "You know you're cars," he commented.

She smiled as she turned away, shrugging slightly. "It's kind of a hobby. Couple of my old boyfriends liked cars. I guess I have a type," she said, as she sat inside.

Dean smiled as he sat in beside her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Sally and Sam pulled up in front of the motel.

Sally unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car. "Hey, I'm just going to head up to the little corner shop up the street for a snack. Do you want anything?" Sam asked her, sticking his head out the window.

She shook her head. "I'm good, thanks," she replied, smiling.

She watched him go and then let herself into the room just as Dean and Gillian pulled in. Seeing them, she turned and faced them.

"So, you got out okay, huh?" she asked him. He nodded in return just as his phone rang.

"Hey, Sammy, we gotta talk," he said into the phone. He pressed the button so they all could hear.

"Tell me about it. So the husband was unfaithful. We are dealing with a woman in white and she's buried behind her old house so that should have been dad's next stop," Sam explained.

"Sammy, would you shut up for a second," Dean tried to interject.

"I just can't figure out why he hasn't destroyed the corpse yet," Sam continued.

"Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you. He's gone. Dad left Jericho," Dean said.

"What? How do you know?" Sam asked him.

"I've got his journal," Dean explained.

"He doesn't go anywhere without that thing," Sam said.

"Yeah, well, he did this time," Dean replied.

"What's it say?" Sam asked him.

"That same old ex-marine crap when he wants to let us know where he's going," Dean answered.

"Co-ordinates. Where to?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Dean said.

"I don't understand. I mean what could be so important that dad would just skip out in the middle of a job? Dean what the hell is gong on?" Sam asked him.

Suddenly, they heard Sam shout and the screech of the car tyres. "Sam? Sam?" Dean said frantically into the phone.

Then a female voice said "Take me home."

Again they heard the voice, this time more forcefully "Take me home."

"No," they heard Sam say when suddenly, the line went dead.

They stared at each other before Dean said "We have to get to that house."

They ran to the car and got in.

xxxxxx

They sped up to the house and seeing the Impala parked up in front of it, they got out and slowly made their way towards it. The silence was shattered by Sam's shout of pain. They could see him with the ghost of Constance Welch hovering over him. Her hand was wrapped around his heart, burning holes into his T-shirt.

Suddenly, Dean pulled out a gun and fired it through the window at the ghost. It disappeared but came back a second later, this time with more force. Dean once again shot at it and once again the ghost disappeared.

Sam sat up and started the car. "I'm taking you home," he said, before accelerating through the door and into the house.

"SAM!" Dean shouted and they all ran after him into the house.

"Sam?" Dean called.

"Here," came the reply.

"Are you okay?" Gillian asked him. They reached the car, which was now in the middle of the living room.

"I think," Sam replied.

"Can you move?" Dean questioned as he wrenched open the door.

"Yeah, help me," Sam said as Dean pulled him out of the car.

Sally looked over and saw Constance's ghost bend down and pick up a picture. It was of the ghost and two little children, a boy and a girl. A look of sorrow passed over Constance's face but when she stared up at the four people before her it turned to one of anger.

She threw the picture on the floor and, stepping aside, she made a large bureau come hurtling at them, pinning them all against the wall. They all cried out in pain as the ghost began to walk towards them.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on. Constance looked around her, confusedly as water also began to flow down the stairs. Walking towards it, she looked up and saw two children, the same two from the picture, standing at the top.

The children grasped each other's hands. "You've come home to us, Mommy," they said in unison.

Constance gasped and a look of horror passed her face.

Suddenly, the two children appeared behind her. She took a step backwards but they grabbed her around the waist. She began to scream horribly and her face contorted.

Constance and her children began to sink into the floor before, with one last horrible cry, they disappeared altogether, leaving behind a puddle of water.

They all looked at each and with the force on the bureau eased they were able to push it off. They walked over to the puddle and looked down at it.

"So this is where she drowned her kids," Gillian said.

"That's why she could never go home," Sally added.

"She was too scared to face 'em," Sam said.

"You found her weak spot," Dean said. "Nice work, Sammy," he said, slapping Sam's chest where the burn marks in his clothes were.

Sam winced in pain but laughed.

He rubbed at the mark and turned to Dean.

"Yeah, I wish I could say the same for you, what were you thinking, shooting Casper in the face, you freak?" Sam asked him.

"Hey, I saved your ass," Dean reminded him.

"I'll tell you another thing," Dean said as he bent over to inspect the damage of the Impala "if you screwed up my car, I'll kill you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Later, as they checked out of the motel, Gillian turned to them.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand to Dean. He took it and shook it, nodding.

"You too," he replied. He took Sally's hand too while Sam did the same.

"If you're ever up around Provincetown, give us a call," Sally told them.

"You never know, we might meet up on another hunt," Gillian added.

"Not Sammy, he's going back to college now," Dean told them.

"Yeah, well, this was a kind of one time thing. I've got an interview on Monday so I have to go," Sam explained.

"Well, good luck with everything then," Sally told him as they turned and walked out the door.

When they had sat in the car, the two girls looked at one another.

"Well, at least they didn't find out our little secret," Gillian said.

"Yeah, we kept it under wraps," Sally agreed. Gillian started the car.

"Well, off to Massachusetts we go," she said, cheerily as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home.

"So how long do you thing it will take us to get home?" Sally asked her.

"I dunno, I might just take things slow. Maybe about 5 days or so. You're not in a hurry to get back are you?" Gillian replied.

Sally shook her head.

xxxxxx

When they arrived back in Massachusetts a few days later, they were greeted at the door by two little girls.

"Sally, Gilly," they cried in unison.

"Hey girls," Sally said, bending down. "How've you been?" she asked them.

"Great. We went with Grandma Jetty and Aunt Francis to the Harvest Moon Festival and we had so much fun," Kylie, the older red-head told them.

"Yeah, we danced under the full moon naked," Antonia informed them, enthusiastically.

Sally and Gillian both laughed, remembering their times at the infamous Harvest Moon Festival.

They looked up as their aunts walked in.

"Hello, girls," Aunt Francis said.

"Hi, Aunt Francis," Gillian replied.

"So how was the festival?" Sally asked as she shrugged off her coat.

"Oh, it all went very smoothly this year. We were on the committee you know," Jetty told them.

"We know, you've been involved in that thing ever since we can remember," Sally said, smiling slightly.

"Anyway, how was the hunt?" Aunt Jetty enquired.

"It went well," Sally replied.

"Yeah, but we had company," Gillian told them.

"Other hunters?" Francis asked. Both girls nodded their heads.

"Who were they?" Jetty asked.

"Sam and Dean Winchester," Gillian said.

"Winchester? Not John and Mary Winchester's sons?" Francis asked them, surprised. Gillian shrugged.

"You know them?" Sally asked.

"Your mother knew Mary. They were good friends," Francis told them.

"We've heard of John Winchester. He's supposed to be quite a hunter," Jetty continued.

"It must be them," she concluded.

"Well, we just heard news of one of his sons, actually, at the festival. You know how gossip travels," Francis told them.

"You did? Which one?" Sally asked, confused.

"The younger one, I think. The one in college," she replied.

"Sam? What happened?" Sally asked.

"Well, about 4 days ago there was a fire in his dorm room on campus. His girlfriend was killed," Francis said.

Sally gasped in shock. "What?" she stammered.

"This must have happened right after we left. Is Sam okay?" Gillian asked, in concern.

"I think so, but the details were pretty sketchy. I think he's with his brother," Francis told them.

Sally and Gillian looked at one another in shock.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

About a fortnight later, Sally absent-mindedly doodled on the piece of paper before her. She was sitting in the shop that her aunts owned and was supposed to be serving any customers that came in. Gillian was in the back somewhere, stacking boxes.

Sally had been delighted when the aunts had asked her to become manager.

Up until that, her job had been hunting with Gillian and she still loved doing that but sometimes she just wished that she could have a normal life, with a normal job and a house and a car and a family, and not have to endure the whispers and stares that plagued all the Owens women in their little coastal town in New England.

The bell above the door jangled and she looked up as a woman came in. She quickly glanced around and seeing that nobody was in the shop except for Sally, she hurried over.

"I-I need your help," the woman asked, still darting looks around the shop.

"Of course," Sally replied smiling at her. "What's the problem?" she asked.

They owned a health shop, which the aunts had set up many years ago. It was a bright airy place, and they sold their own home-made remedies for common ailments as well as shampoos and other toiletries. But the people of the town only visited their shop if they were in dire need of help. Their only regular customers were the tourists that visited the area or people that were from out of town and weren't aware of the Owens women story.

But every once in a while, a local townsperson would arrive, seeking help that only the Owens women could give them. And this was the kind of help the woman was looking for.

"It's about a-a man I know," the woman stammered.

Sally then realised what it was the woman wanted. "I understand," she replied.

"You'll have to come back later. Go to my aunts house. You know where it is?" Sally asked.

The woman nodded her head quickly. It was a stupid question to ask. All local people knew where the Owens women lived.

"Come to the house at 10 o'clock and we can help you," Sally told her.

Just then Gillian came in from the back. When the woman saw her she quickly nodded her head at Sally and left.

"What was that all about?" Gillian asked, dropping what she was carrying beside the counter.

"She needs help from the aunts," Sally explained to her.

"Oh, another one that wants to steal somebody's husband and make him fall in love with her so they can be together forever?" Gillian asked sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," Sally replied. "But stop being so callous about it. She's obviously lonely," she scolded.

"Oh, Sal, come on, she's desperate. I mean why can't she just go out and find a guy in a bar or something like everybody else. Why does she have to turn to us? I mean normally she'd probably turn away when she'd see us in the street. Some people are just so hypocritical," Gillian exclaimed.

"Oh and you're a saint when it comes to the love department?" Sally asked sarcastically.

"It's not my fault men find me irresistible," Gillian replied grinning. Sally smiled back at her shaking her head.

"Come on, it's time to lock up," she told her.

xxxxxx

Later on, as they sat in the kitchen, the aunts told them about a new case they had heard of. "An old friend of ours called us earlier," Francis explained.

"By old friend, you don't happen to mean boyfriend, do you?" Gillian mocked her aunt.

"Hahaha, Gillian," Francis said sarcastically.

"Jerry Panowski is just a friend of ours from a long time back, is all," Jetty insisted.

Gillian smirked at her aunts while Sally shook her head. "So what's the case?" she asked them.

"Well, it's not too far from here. Cataning, Pennsylvania," Jetty replied.

"Do you remember that plane that crashed a few days ago? It was on the news, United Britannia, Flight 2485? Well, Jerry works for Britannia and he got a hold of the cockpit voice recorder for that flight. He reckons it has something of a supernatural feel to it," Francis explained.

Sally nodded. "Wait a minute. How did he know to call you guys?" Gillian asked them suspiciously.

"He doesn't happen to know about our big family secret, does he?" Gillian asked them.

Francis and Jetty looked at one another. "Okay, so he know we're hunters but he doesn't know that we're -?"

Gillian was cut off by her aunt.

"Yes, Gilly, he knows all about what we are," Francis exclaimed. Jetty nodded her head.

"But Jerry understands. He's not afraid. He doesn't believe all the rumours that circulate about us," Francis told them.

"Come on, Gilly, it's not that big a deal," Sally told her sister.

"Yeah, well, as long as he doesn't tell anyone else. You know what kind of a reputation we have," Gillian said, disgruntledly.

"Speaking of which, he wanted something," Francis told them.

"Oh, yes," Jetty said.

She stood up and reaching into one of the storage shelves, she took down a jar of what looked like mushed up leaves. She handed it to Sally.

"Give him this when you see him," she told them. Sally looked at it.

"Rosemary and lavender?" she asked.

"He wanted some protection on his home so we whipped up this for him," Francis explained.

Sally nodded and slipped it into her bag.

xxxxxx

That was why they found themselves in the large building housing United Britannia's company headquarters, later on that day.

"We're looking for Jerry Panowski, please," Sally told the man in the reception desk.

"Yeah, just a minute," he said without looking up.

Sally looked at her sister. Gillian frowned and stood up towards the counter.

"Look, buddy, we'd really appreciate it if you help'd us out," she told him.

The man looked up, annoyed, but when his gaze landed on the two women in front of him, the look disappeared. Gillian smiled at him and the man stood up, a wide smile on his face.

"Just follow me and I'll bring you to his office," he told them, stepping out from behind his desk and gesturing for them to follow him. He began to walk down a corridor.

Gillian shot a triumphant look to her sister and followed the man. Sally rolled her eyes, a smile appearing on her face as she also followed the man.

He led them down the corridor where he stopped in front of a door at the end. "Here you go, ladies," he said.

"Thank you," Sally said and they waited until he started to back down the corridor before knocking on the door.

"Come in," a voice from inside called out.

Gillian pushed open the door.

They were surprised to see Sam and Dean sitting in front of Jerry's desk.

"Sam? Dean?" Gillian said in surprise. Jerry stood up.

"I'm sorry. Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Sally Owens and this is my sister Gillian," Sally stepped forward. "We're Francis and Jetty's nieces," she continued.

"Oh of course," Jerry said. "I'm so glad you came. You seem to already know who Sam and Dean are. I'm sorry but I called everybody I knew who dealt with this kind of thing," he explained.

"Here, have a seat," he told them.

Sally and Gillian sat down beside Sam and Dean. Sally noticed how tired looking Sam was and she felt sorry for him. He caught her looking and he gave her a weak smile. She returned it.

Jerry had picked up a CD and he placed it in the player. "I listened to this and it sounded like it was right up your alley. Normally I wouldn't have access to this. It's the cockpit voice recorder for United Britannia Flight 2485. It was one of ours," he finished sitting back in his chair.

They all listened as the CD began to play. "Mayday, mayday," it said. The noise of a plane engine could be heard in the background. There was a slight crackle in the recording also.

"This is United Britannia Flight 2485 requesting immediate help. We may be experiencing some kind of mechanical failure," the captain's voice cut out and a low roar was emitted from the speakers before the tape stopped.

"Took off from here, crashed about 200 miles south. Now, they're saying mechanical failure. The cabin de-pressurized somehow. Nobody knows why. Over 100 people on board. Only 7 got out alive. Pilot was one. His name is Chuck Lambert. He's a good friend of mine. Chuck is, uh, well, he's pretty broken up about it, like it was his fault," Jerry explained to them.

"You don't think it was," Sam said.

"No, I don't," Jerry agreed.

"Jerry, we're going to need passenger manifests, a list of survivors…" Gillian said. Dean nodded in agreement.

"Right, uh, anyway we could look at the wreckage," he asked.

Jerry looked at them. "The other stuff is no problem, but the wreckage, the fella's at NTSB have it locked down in an evidence warehouse. No way I've got that kind of clearance," Jerry informed them.

Dean nodded. "No problem," he said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Later that day, while Dean went into a Copy Jack to get some fake I.D., Sally went over to talk to Sam.

"Hey, Sam," she said, leaning against the car beside him.

"Hi," he replied looking down at her.

"Listen, I heard about your girlfriend. If there's anything you want, just let me know," she told him.

"Thanks," he said.

"I do know what you're going through," she assured him.

"I know, probably more than anyone I know," Sam said. She gave his arm a reassuring pat and got up, wanting to leave him alone with his thoughts.

"I just, I feel like it's my fault," Sam said. This made her stop and turn around.

"How could it be your fault, Sam?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand," he replied.

"Forget it," he continued.

"Believe me, I know what it feels like to think a loved one is dead because of you, but Sam, you know that it wasn't you're fault, really, don't you?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," he replied.

Just then the door of the store opened and Dean came out. He eyed the blonde who passed him by before turning towards the car.

"You've been in there forever," Gillian said to him in annoyance when he reached the car.

"You can't rush perfection," he replied, holding up two I.D. cards with a picture of him and Sam. Sam picked up the one with his picture and read it.

"Homeland Security? That's pretty illegal, even for us," he told his brother.

"Yeah, well, it's something new. People haven't seen it a thousand times," Dean replied.

"So, what have you got?" Gillian asked, turning to Sally.

"Well, there's definitely E.V.P on the voice recorder," Sally explained.

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

"Listen," Sally said, opening up her laptop. She played a slowed down version of the recording from Jerry.

"No survivors," a raspy voice said.

"No, survivors? What's that supposed to mean. There were 7 survivors," Gillian stated. Sally shook her head.

"Got me," she said.

"So what are you thinking? Haunted flight?" Dean asked.

"There's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships like phantom travellers. Or remember Flight 401?" Sam pointed out.

Gillian nodded. "Right and the airline salvaged some of it's parts, put it in other planes, then the spirits of the pilot and co-pilot haunted those flights," she said.

"Right, maybe we got a similar deal," Dean agreed. He picked up the list of survivors, scanning down the page.

"All right, which one do you wanna go talk to first?" he asked.

"Third on the list, Max Jaffey," Sally replied, pointing to the name.

"Why him?" Sam asked.

"Well, for one he's from around here and two, if anybody saw anything weird, he did," Sally answered.

"What makes you say that?" Gillian questioned.

"Well, I spoke to his mother and she told me where to find him," Sally answered.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of a sign which read "Riverfront Psychiatric Hospital", beside the entrance to a large building.

xxxxxx

"I don't understand. I already spoke with Homeland Security," Max Jaffey said. Dean and Sam were seated in front of him in the hospital.

"Right, some new information has come up and if you could just answer a couple questions," Dean told him. Sam turned to him.

"Just before the plane went down, did you notice anything unusual?" he asked.

"Like what?" Max replied.

"Strange lights, weird noises maybe, voices?" Dean asked him. Max looked at him.

"No, nothing," he answered.

"Hmm, Mr. Joffey," Dean began.

"Jaffey," the man corrected.

"Jaffey," Dean repeated. "You checked yourself in here, right?" he continued. The man nodded.

"Can I ask why?" Dean said incredulously, looking around him.

"I was a little stressed, I survived a plane crash," Max replied, sarcastically.

"Uh huh. And that's what terrified you. That's what you're afraid of," Dean said.

"Look, I-I don't wanna talk about this anymore," Max said, shaking his head.

"You see, I think you did see something up there. And we need to know what," Dean told him.

"No, no, I was delusional. Seeing things," Max replied.

"Oh, he was seeing things," Dean told Sam.

Sam nodded his head. "It's okay. Just tell us what you thought you saw," Sam said to him in a comforting voice.

Max sighed. "There was this man. And, uh, he had these eyes. These, uh, black eyes. And I saw him, I thought I saw him," Max stopped, staring into space.

"What?" Dean asked.

"He opened the emergency exit," Max stated.

Dean looked at him in surprise.

"But that's impossible, right? I mean, I looked it up. There's something, like, 2 tonnes of pressure on that door," Max said.

There was a pause.

"Okay, did this man seem to appear and disappear, rapidly? It would look something like a mirage," Sam asked him.

"What are you, nuts? He was a passenger. He was sitting right in front of me," Max stared at him, incredulously.

Sam and Dean just looked at one another.

xxxxxx

Later on, when Sam and Dean had related everything to Sally and Gillian, they looked up the man who was sitting in front of Max Jaffey.

"Here we go," Sally exclaimed. "George Phelps. Seat 20 C," she said.

"I don't care how strong you are. Even if you hooked up on PCP or something, there is no way you could open up an emergency door during a flight," Dean said.

"Not if you're human," Gillian replied.

"Maybe this guy, George, was something else. Some kind of creature, maybe, in human form," Sam said.

xxxxxx

They got his address and decided to pay his wife a visit. As they pulled up in front of the house, Dean pointed to it and said, "Does that look like a creature's lair to you?"

"Look, I think me and Sally should go in. I mean four strangers at once….that might be a little hard on his wife, don't you think?" Gillian pointed out.

"Why do you get to go in?" Dean asked, indignantly.

"Well, it's our turn. You talked to that Max guy," Gillian pointed out.

"Yeah, but-" Dean began before Sam cut him off.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," he said.

Dean shot him a look as Gillian looked triumphantly over her shoulder at Dean. "Dude, why'd you go and do that?" Dean rounded on Sam.

Sally was doing something similar to Gillian.

"Gillian, that was really rude," she scolded her sister as the walked up the path.

"What? It was our turn. Why should they get all the fun?" Gillian replied.

Sally just shook her head in reply.

xxxxxx

A few minutes later they were seated in Mrs. Phelps' living room. Sally looked at a picture of George Phelps.

"This is your late husband?" she asked the woman seated in front of them.

She nodded. "Yes, that was my George," she replied.

"And you said he was a dentist?" Gillian asked.

She nodded again. "He was headed to a convention in Denver," she continued.

Sally looked at Gillian.

"Do you know that he was petrified to fly?" Mrs Phelps asked them.

"For him to go like that," she said softly.

"How long were you married?" Sally asked.

She smiled. "Thirteen years," she replied.

"In all that time, did you ever notice anything strange about him? Anything out of the ordinary?" Sally questioned.

"Well…" Mrs. Phelps began.

Gillian sat forward eagerly.

"He had acid reflux, if that's what you mean," she finished.

Gillian and Sally again looked at one another.

xxxxxx

After retelling what had happened to the others, Gillian said, "I mean it goes without saying, it just doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, a middle-aged dentist with an ulcer is not exactly evil personified," Dean replied.

"You know what we need to do is get inside that NTBS warehouse and check out the wreckage," Sam said.

"Okay but if you're going to go down that route, you better look the part," Sally told them, smiling slightly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Half an hour later, Gillian and Sally were waiting outside "Mort's" suit shop when Sam and Dean emerged, dressed in identical black suits with black ties.

Sally and Gillian burst out laughing.

"You look like one of the Blue's Brother's," Gillian told Dean through her laughter.

"No they don't," Sally replied. "They look more like 7th grader's going to their first dance," she continued.

This set both of them into more peals of laughter.

"I hate this thing," Dean muttered brushing past them.

"Hey, you want into that warehouse or not," Gillian called after him.

"Why do we have to do it?" Dean said, angrily.

"Hey, it's your turn, Dean," Gillian replied, sitting into her own car.

Sally and Sam just looked at one another and shook their heads in exasperation.

xxxxxx

Dean and Sam entered the large warehouse and showed the man sitting at the desk their newly-forged I.D.'s. The man studied them and, satisfied, let them in.

They were on their own in the large hanger that stored the remains of the plane. They began to walk around, examining the pieces.

Dean pulled a black object out of his pocket and began unwinding the headphones that were attached to it.

"What is _that_?" Sam asked him, as Dean put the headphones on his ears.

"It's an E.M.F meter. Reads Electro-Magnetic Frequencies," Dean explained.

"Yeah, I know what an E.M.F meter is, but why does that one look like a busted up walkman?" Sam asked again.

Dean smiled. "'Cos that's what I made it out of," Dean replied proudly.

"It's home-made," he said, holding it up.

"Yeah, I can see that," Sam replied, nodding.

The smile faded from Deans face and he shot Sam an annoyed look.

Continuing on, Dean began to run the meter over the plane wreckage. Suddenly, it started beeping and red lights flashed on it over the door handle of the emergency exit.

"Check out the emergency door handle," Dean said. Dean began to scratch at it as a powdery substance rubbed off.

"What is this stuff?" he asked.

"There's one way to find out," Sam said, taking out a knife and a small plastic bag.

He began to scratch at the substance as Dean wiped the stuff off his fingers on the back of Sam's jacket.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile, Sally and Gillian were sitting on the hood of their car when a black car pulled up in front of them.

Two men wearing identical suits to Sam and Dean got out. Sally gave Gillian a worried look as they headed towards the building.

"Looks like the real guys have arrived," Sally said.

"We gotta go distract 'em for a little while," Gillian said, standing up and unbuttoning the first few buttons on her blouse.

Sally frowned at her.

"Come on," Gillian said, doing the same thing to Sally's shirt.

"Hey," she cried incredulously, slapping Gillian's hand away. Gillian began to hurry after the men with Sally close behind her.

"Um, excuse me," she said, tapping one of the men on the shoulder. The man turned around.

"I'm sorry ma'am but-," he stopped short when he got a look at them both and then he smiled. His partner turned around too and gave them a similar expression.

"What can I do for you, ladies?" the first man asked.

"We're not from around here and we're a little lost," Gillian smiled sweetly at the man, playing with the end of her hair.

"Could you tell us a nice place to go get something to eat?" Sally continued, batting her eyelashes.

"Well, uh, there's a nice little diner just down the street," the second man replied, pointing in the direction.

"Oh, would you mind showing us. We're really, really hungry," Gillian said, close to the first guys ear.

"Well, uh, I guess we could go and show you where it is," he said, staring down at Gillian, his eyes being drawn to her open shirt.

The second man, however, pulled away. "We're actually kinda busy at the moment, ladies, but if you wait here for 10 minutes, we'll be right out, and then we can show you where to go," he said hopefully.

"Oh, we'll be gone by then," Sally said, pouting. She too moved in closer to the man. He stared at her nervously, his eyes drifting downwards too.

"Well, you know, we could go and-," he began, but the door opened behind him and he looked up startled. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry ladies, we can't," he began to back in the door, pulling his reluctant partner behind him.

Gillian and Sally walked back to the car as Gillian quickly pulled out her phone.

"Dean, get out of there, you've got company," she said into the phone.

Soon after that, an alarm started to go off inside.

Seconds later, Sam and Dean came hurtling around the corner, panting.

"That was close," Sam said, as they stopped in front of them.

Frowning, Gillian noticed where Dean's gaze was and she realised that she hadn't rebuttoned her shirt.

"Hey, eyes up here," she said clicking her fingers in front of his face. Gillian began to button it back up while Sally followed her lead.

"We tried to distract those two guys that went in," Sally explained when she saw the questioning looks on Sam and Deans faces.

"Well, you did a great job," Dean said sarcastically.

Sally, noticing Gillian open her mouth to give a smart retort, cut in.

"So did you find anything?" she asked them.

They related what they had found out, Sam showing them the bag with the powdery substance inside.

"Well, let's head back to Jerry and see if he can tell us what it is," Dean said.

xxxxxx

They watched as Jerry looked at the substance under a microscope. "Huh," he said, looking up.

"This stuff is covered in sulphur," he told them.

"You're sure?" Sam asked.

"Take a look for yourself," he offered.

He looked up as shouting came from outside. "It you guys will excuse me, I have an idiot to fire," he claimed as he walked out the door.

Gillian took up Jerry's offer and bent over to look into the microscope. She looked up to see Dean, who was in front of her, staring down her shirt.

"Dean," she exclaimed. He shook his head as he looked up.

"What?" he asked.

"Pervert," she simply replied.

"There's not too many things that leave behind a sulphured residue," Sam pointed out.

"Demonic possession?" Sally asked.

Dean nodded. "That would explain how a mortal man would have the strength to open up an emergency hatch," he said.

"If the guy was possessed, it's possible," Gillian agreed.

"Yeah, but this goes way beyond floating over a bed or barfing pea soup. I mean, it's one thing to possess a person, but to use them to take down an entire airplane," Dean said.

"Have you ever heard of something like this before?" Sally asked.

They all shook their heads.

"Never," Dean said.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Later that day, they sat in a motel room, looking up information about demons. Sam sat back from his laptop.

"So every religion and every world culture has the idea of demons and demonic possession, right? I mean, Christian, Native American, Hindu, you name it," he said.

"Yeah, but none of them describe anything like this," Gillian said.

"Well, that's not exactly true," Sally said.

"You see, according to Japanese beliefs, certain demons are behind certain disasters both natural and man-made. One causes earthquakes, another causes disease," she continued.

"And this one causes plane crashes?" Dean asked.

"So what? We have a demon that's evolved with the times and found a way to ratchet up the body count?" Gillian asked.

"Yeah. And who knows how many planes its brought down before this one," Sally replied.

Dean stood up and walked away, scratching his head.

"What?" Gillian asked him.

"I dunno. This isn't our normal gig. I mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction, for it's own sake. I mean, this is big. I wish my dad was here," Dean told her.

Suddenly, Dean's phone began to ring. "Hello?" he said into it.

"Dean, it's Jerry," came the reply.

"Oh, hi, Jerry," Dean replied.

"My pilot friend, Chuck Lambert, is dead," he said.

"Jerry, I'm sorry. What happened?" Dean replied. The others looked at him when he said this.

"He and his buddy went up in a small twin about an hour ago. The plane went down," Jerry explained.

"Where'd this happen?" Dean asked.

"About 60 miles west of here, near Nazareth," Jerry answered.

"Well, I'll try to ignore the irony in that," Dean said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry?" Jerry asked. Dean shook his head.

"Nothing. Jerry hang in there. We'll catch up with you soon," Dean finished.

He hung up the phone and looked up.

"Another crash?" Sally asked him.

"Yeah, let's go," Dean said.

"Where?" Sam asked.

"Nazareth," Dean replied, raising his eyebrows.

xxxxxx

Later on, after they had returned from the scene of the second plane crash, they all waited as Jerry looked at the powder they had recovered from the scene.

"Sulphur?" Dean asked as Jerry stood up. He nodded in reply.

"Well, that's great," Gillian muttered.

"Alright, so that was two plane crashes involving Chuck Lambert. This demon sounds like it was after him," Dean pointed out.

"With all due respect to Chuck, if that's the case, that would be good news," Sam said.

"What's the bad news?" Sally asked him.

"Chuck's plane went down exactly 40 minutes into flight and, get this, so did Flight 2485," Sam replied.

"40 minutes? What does that mean?" Jerry asked.

"It's biblical numerology. You know Noah's Ark, it rained for 40 days. The number means death," Gillian explained to him.

"I went back and there have been six planes that all went down over the last decade exactly 40 minutes in," Sam said.

"Any survivors?" Dean asked. Sam shook his head.

"No. Well, not until now at least, not until Flight 2485 for some reason," Sam replied.

"On the cockpit voice recorder. Remember what the E.V.P said?" Sally pointed out.

"No survivors," Gillian replied.

"It's going after all the survivors," Dean exclaimed.

"It's trying to finish the job," Gillian said.

xxxxxx

Later that evening, they were all driving together in the Impala. "Really, well, thank you for taking our survey and if you do intend to fly, please don't forget your friends at United Britannia airlines. Thanks," Sally said into her phone as she hung up.

"Okay, that takes care of Blain Sanderson and Denis Holloway. They're not flying anytime soon," Sally told them.

"So our only wild card is the flight attendant, Amanda Walker," Sam said.

"Her sister Karen said her flight leaves Indianapolis at 8pm. Its her first night back on the job," Sally said.

"Well, that's just our luck," Dean muttered.

"Dean, this is a 5 hour drive man, even with you behind the wheel," Sam pointed out.

"Why don't you call Amanda's cell phone again, see if we can't head her off at the pass?" Dean asked.

"I already left her 3 voice messages. She must have turned her cell phone off," Gillian told him.

"God, we're never going to make it," Sally sighed, looking at her watch.

"Oh, we'll make it," Dean said, putting his foot on the accelerator.

xxxxxx

They ran straight into the airport when they arrived and looked at the screens giving the departure times.

"Right there. They're boarding in 30 minutes," Sam said, pointing to the screen.

"Okay, we still have some cards to play," Dean said. "Gotta find a phone," he continued, searching for one.

He saw one, hanging on the wall and ran to pick it up. "Airport services," a female voice said.

"Hi, gate 13," Dean said.

"Who are you calling, sir?" the voice asked.

"I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on Flight 424," Dean said into the phone.

"Please hold, sir," the voice said.

"Come on, come on," Dean said, impatiently.

"This is Amanda Walker," another female voice said.

"Ms. Walker? Hi, this is Dr. James Headfield from St. Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here," he said.

"Karen?" Amanda said.

"Nothing serious," Dean continued.

"Just a minor car accident but she was injured so.." he said.

"Wait, wait, wait," Amanda replied. "That's impossible. I just got off the phone with her," she continued.

There was a pause.

"You what?" Dean asked.

"5 minutes ago. She's at her house, cramming for a final. Who is this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Uh, well, there must be some mistake," Dean said.

"And how would you even know I was here?" she asked. "Is this one of Vince's friends?" she questioned.

Dean paused for a second and then shrugged. "Guilty as charged," he replied, laughing slightly.

"Wow, this is unbelievable," Amanda said, angrily.

"He's really sorry," Dean said, slowly.

"Well, you tell him to mind his own business and stay out of my life, okay?" she said.

"Yes, but he really needs to see you tonight, so.." Dean continued.

"No, I'm sorry, it's too late," she replied.

"Don't be like that. I mean, the guy is a mess. Really its pathetic," Dean said, hopefully.

"Really?" Amanda said, her voice softening.

"Oh yeah," Dean replied.

"Look, I gotta go. Um, tell him to call me when I land," she replied, hanging up.

"No, no, wait, Amanda? Amanda?" Dean said frantically into the phone but the line was dead.

"Dammit," Dean said, angrily. "I was so close," he said.

"Alright, it's time for Plan B," Gillian said. "We're getting on that plane," she said.

"W-well now, just hold on a second," Dean said.

"Dean, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board and if we're right that plane is going to crash," Sam said.

"I know," Dean replied.

"Well, then, we're getting on that plane, we're going to find that demon and exorcise it. Me and Sally will go get the tickets, you and Sam go and see what you can get out of the trunk, anything that'll make it through security, and we'll meet back here in 5 minutes," Gillian said.

Gillian and Sally started to head towards the check-in desk while Sam went towards the door.

Dean, however, remained rooted to the spot. "Are you okay?" Sally asked him.

Dean just looked at her. "No, not really," he replied.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sam asked him. "Well, I kinda have this problem with, eh…" Dean didn't finish.

"Flying?" Gillian asked him, staring at him in horror.

"It's never really been an issue until now," he exclaimed.

"You're joking, right?" Gillian said.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Dean shouted back.

"Why do you think I drive everywhere?" he asked.

"Alright, well, you just stay here then and we'll go," Sam said.

"What?" Dean exclaimed.

"What are you nuts? You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash!" Dean continued.

"Dean, you either stay or you go, I'm not seeing a third option here," Gillian told him.

"Come on! Really?" Dean said weakly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

20 minutes later, Gillian stared at Dean as he thoroughly read the safety instructions in the seat pocket in front of him. "Just try to relax," she told him.

"Just try to shut up," he snapped back. She smirked at him slightly and shook her head.

Sally and Sam watched from across the aisle. The engines began to get louder as they prepared for take off. The plane began to shake and Dean stared around wildly.

He grabbed Gillian's hand tightly as the plane took off.

"Dean?" Gillian called him. He looked at her.

"Can I have my hand back?" she said, looking down.

Dean looked down and saw his hand clutched around hers. "Oh, sorry," he said as he dropped it.

He looked wildly around again when he heard the noise of the landing gear coming up and this made her smile wider.

xxxxxx

Gillian leaned in to hear what Dean was humming, his head pressed back into the seat. "Are you humming Metallica?" she asked him, giving him a strange look.

"It calms me down," came the curt reply.

"Look, Dean, I get that you're nervous but you have to stay focused," she told him.

He nodded. "Okay," he said.

"We've got 32 minutes and counting to track this thing down, well whoever it's possessing anyway, and perform a full on exorcism," she continued.

"Yeah, on a crowded plane, that's gonna be easy," Dean retorted.

"We'll take it one step at a time," she told him calmly.

Sam and Sally were discussing the demon. "Now, who is it possessing?" Sally thought out loud as she looked around.

"Well, it's usually going to be somebody with a weakness, you know, a chink in the armour that the demon can worm through. Somebody with an addiction or some sort of emotional distress," Sam told her.

They both looked over at Dean at the same time, who had his eyes squeezed shut and was breathing deeply.

"Well, this is Amanda's first flight after the crash. If I was her, I'd be pretty messed up," Sally replied.

They told the others what they thought and Dean stopped a flight attendant as she walked by. "Excuse me, are you Amanda?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not," she replied.

"Oh, my mistake," Dean said.

She nodded and walked on. Dean turned in his seat and looked back at the other flight attendant.

"Alright, well that's gotta be Amanda back there. I'll go talk to her and, eh, I'll get a read on her mental state," Dean said, nervously.

"What if she's already possessed?" Gillian asked him.

"There's ways to test that," Dean said, reaching down and taking a bottle of holy water out of the sack at his feet. Gillian looked at it, her eyebrows raising.

"No," she said, snapping it off him. "I think we can go more subtle," she continued.

"If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God," she said.

"Oh, thanks," Dean said, unbuckling his seatbelt and standing up.

"Hey," Gillian said. Dean stopped and looked back.

"What?" he asked.

"Say it in Latin," she told him.

"Yeah, I know," Dean said, impatiently, turning to go.

"Hey," she said again.

"What?" Dean said, annoyed.

"In Latin, it's Cristo," she told him.

"I know, I'm not an idiot," he replied, before turning to go down the aisle. She shifted slightly in her seat to watch him go. The plane shook a bit after hitting turbulence and Dean slammed his fist at the seat beside him in fright.

He reached the back of the plane and pulled back the curtain to reveal Amanda. She was loading a snack tray.

"Hi," Dean said.

"Hi, can I help you with something?" she asked him, smiling.

"Oh no, I'm just a bit of an uneasy flyer. Makes me feel better to walk around a little bit," Dean explained.

"Oh, it happens to the best of us," she assured him.

"Oh, well, you being a stewardess, I guess flying comes easy to you," he pointed out.

She laughed. "Oh, you'd be surprised," she replied.

"Really? You're a nervous flyer?" he asked her.

"Yeah, maybe, a little bit," she replied.

"Now how is it that you being a stewardess, you're scared to fly?" Dean pushed.

"It's kind of long story," she told him.

"Right, I'm sorry for asking," Dean apologised.

"It's okay," she waved it off.

"You ever consider other employment?" he continued.

"No. Look, everybody is scared of something I'm just, uh, not going to let it hold me back," she explained. She carried on with what she was doing. Dean shook his head and, finding no other choice, he muttered.

"Cristo," he said, quietly. "

I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked him, looking up.

"Cristo?" he said again, louder this time. She shook her head.

"I didn't-I didn't…," she said, craning her neck to hear him better.

"Nothing, never mind," Dean replied, walking back through the curtain.

xxxxxx

Dean sat back down beside Gillian. "Okay, she's got to be about the most well-adjusted person on the planet," Dean told her.

"You said Cristo?" Gillian asked him.

"Yeah," he replied.

"And?" she prodded.

"There's no demon in her, there's no demon getting in her," he said.

"So, if it's on the plane, it could be anyone," Sally said from across the aisle.

The plane gave another rattle. "Come on, that can't be normal," Dean complained.

"Hey, it's just a little turbulence," Gillian soothed.

"Gillian, this plane is going to crash so quit treating me like I'm friggin' four!" he exclaimed.

"Look, you need to calm down," Gillian replied.

"Well, I'm sorry, I can't," Dean said, hotly.

"Yes you can," she said, softly.

"Please, stop with the touchy-feely self-help yoga crap, it's not helping," he said, angrily.

Gillian frowned at him. "Listen, if you panic, you're wide open to demonic possession, so you need to calm yourself down _right now_," Gillian ordered him, sharply.

Dean looked at her. He let a deep breath out.

"Good," she praised him.

"Hey, I found an exorcism in here that I think is going to work. 'The Ritual Romanum'," Sam told them, from across the aisle.

"What have we got to do?" Dean asked.

"It's two parts. The first part expels the demon from the victim's body, it makes it manifest which actually makes it more powerful," Sam explained.

"More powerful? How?" Gillian asked him.

"Well it doesn't need to posses any one, it can just wreak havoc on it's own," he replied.

"And why is that a good thing?" Dean cut in.

"Well, then the second part sends the bastard back to hell, once and for all," Sam finished.

"Well, first things first, we gotta find it," Sally said. Dean stood up and began to walk up the aisle with the E.M.F meter in his hand, scanning the people as he passed, unbeknownst to them.

Gillian came up behind him. She clapped a hand on his shoulder and he jumped turning to face her.

"Don't do that," he scolded her.

She just ignored him. "Anything?" she asked.

"No, nothing," he replied. "How much time do we got?" he asked, indicating her watch.

She glanced down. "15 minutes," came the reply.

"Maybe we missed somebody," Gillian said, shaking her head. "Maybe the things just not on the plane," Dean replied.

Gillian looked at him incredulously. "Do you believe that?" she asked him.

"Well, I will if you will," Dean said, hopefully.

Suddenly, the E.M.F meter began to beep and light up. Dean looked down at it and then glanced up. He watched as the co-pilot came out of the bathroom and opened the door of the cock-pit.

"What? What is it?" Gillian asked him.

"Cristo," Dean said.

The co-pilot stopped and turned around. Dean and Gillian stared in horror at the man's black eyes before he turned and walked into the cockpit.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

They quickly hurried back down the aisle to Sally and Sam. "It's the co-pilot," Gillian told them.

"We have to ask Amanda for help," Sally said, standing up.

"She's not gonna believe this," Sam protested.

"12 minutes, dude," Dean exclaimed. They all hurried to the back of the plane where Amanda was still sorting through snacks.

"Oh hi," she said, recognising Dean.

"Flights not too bumpy for you, I hope?" she continued, smiling.

"Ah, actually that's kinda what we need to talk to you about," Gillian told her.

"Um, okay, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Uh, this is gonna sound nuts but, we don't have time for that whole, the truth is out there kinda speech-," Dean began before Sam cut him off.

"Look we know you were on flight 2485," he said.

She stared at him, a look of shock passing her face. "Who are you?" she asked, worriedly.

"Now, we've spoken to some of the other survivors and we know something brought down that plane and it wasn't mechanical failure," Sally explained.

"And we need your help, because we need to stop it from happening again, here, now," Gillian said.

Amanda shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm very busy," she said, trying to brush past Dean.

"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, holding her back. She stood back in fright.

"I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" Dean assured her.

"Listen to me," Gillian cut in front of Dean.

"The pilot from flight 2485, Chuck Lambert is dead," she told her.

"What? Chuck is dead?" she cried.

"He died in a plane crash," Sally explained.

"Now, that's two plane crashes in 2 months, that doesn't strike you as strange?" Sam asked her.

She stammered. "Look, there was something wrong with Flight 2485, now maybe you sensed it and maybe you didn't, but there's something wrong with this flight too," Sally told her.

"Amanda, you have to believe us," Dean pleaded.

She stared at them. "O-on 2485, there was this man and he had these eyes," she said.

"Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about," Sam said.

"Well, I don't understand. What are you asking me to do?" she asked them.

"Look, the co-pilot, we need you to bring him back here," Gillian told her.

"Why? What does he have to do with anything?" she questioned.

"Don't have time to explain. We just need to talk to him, okay?" Dean said.

"Well, how am I supposed to go into the cockpit and take the co-pilot?" she asked, frantically.

"Whatever it takes, do whatever it takes. Tell him there's something broken back here. Whatever will make him come out of that cockpit," Sam pleaded with her.

"Do you know that I could lose my job?" Amanda began.

"You could lose a lot more than that if you don't help us out!" Gillian exclaimed. There was a pause as she considered before finally nodding her head.

"Okay," she said before walking behind the curtain separating them from the cabin.

They watched as she walked up the aisle behind the subterfuge of the curtain. When she reached the cockpit door, she lifted her hand and knocked. Glancing back at them, she turned when the door was opened by the co-pilot.

She said something to him, indicating the back of the plane. He nodded and began to follow her back down the aisle. Sam pulled out John's journal and began rifling through the pages as Gillian handed Dean the holy water she had taken from him earlier.

They stood back as the co-pilot came through the curtain. "Now, what's the problem?" he asked before Dean swung his fist and hit him in the jaw.

Dean grabbed him again and slammed him to the floor before Sally bound his mouth with duct tape. "

What are you doing? You said you were just gonna talk to him?" Amanda shouted at them.

"We are going to talk to him," Gillian replied as she squirted holy water over the man. He screamed as it burned through his skin, frothing and sending steam into the air.

"Look, we need you calm and we need you outside the curtain, don't let anybody in," Sam ordered Amanda as she whimpered behind them.

"Okay, okay," she stammered, rushing behind the curtain. Dean hit the demon again.

"Hurry up, Sam, I don't know how much longer I can hold him," Dean cried as the demon struggled underneath him. Gillian sprayed more holy water on him.

Sam began to read the Latin chant from his fathers journal as the demon bucked and writhed.

Suddenly, the demon kicked the holy water out of Gillian's hand, sending it flying into the corner. It proceed to push Dean off of him and he too went flying.

As Sally tried to pin him back down, it hit her and she fell backwards. Dean once again tried to crawl back on top of the demon, but it pushed him again and he sprawled against Gillian.

Sam tried to continue with the chant but the demon tore off the duct tape Sally had put on it's mouth and grabbed him. Sam stopped as the demon cried, "I know what happened to your girlfriend. She must have died screaming. Even now she's gone."

Sam stared at in shock before Sally reached out and punched it. Dean once again jumped on top of it and began to hit it some more.

Sam was still staring at the demon. "Sam," Sally shouted to him.

Sam looked at the demon in disgust as he once again began to say the chant. He finished the first part and lay the journal on the ground so he could help Dean hold the demon down.

The demon kicked the journal and sent it skidding under the curtain and into the cabin. They watched in horror as a black stream of what looked like smoke came from the mans mouth and went into the ventilation shaft. The man went limp beneath them.

"Where'd it go?" Gillian cried.

"It's in the plane," Dean replied.

"Hurry up, we've got to finish it," Sally said as she went out the curtain, Sam close behind.

Suddenly, the plane began to drop quickly. Dean and Gillian went flying backwards as Sam and Sally clung to the seats in front of them. The lights went out as the passengers began screaming.

Sally fell to the ground, the journal inches from her face but it slipped under the seat in front of her. She frantically reached out for it before grasping it with the tips of her fingers. She pulled it towards her, opening the page and sitting up.

She began to shout the chant, reading it off the page. As she finished a bolt of lightning flashed through the plane and the pilot managed to regain control as the plane pulled upwards out of the dive.

She stood up, panting as she turned to make sure the others were okay. Sam smiled at her, relief visible on his face as he too tried to catch his breath. Hers eyes flickered to Dean who looked like he was about to get sick and to Gillian who nodded, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. She nodded back before collapsing into the empty seat next to her.

xxxxxx

Later on, as they left the airport, Sally turned to Sam. "Are you okay?" she said.

He shook his head. "It knew about Jessica," he said.

"Sam, these things, they read minds, they lie, alright, that's all it was," she assured him.

"Yeah," he said, looking at the ground.

"Come on," Dean called from in front of them and she walked on, with Sam closely following, a troubled look still on his face.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do," Jerry told them, when they had arrived back.

"A lot of people could have been killed," he added. He shook Sam's hand.

"Your dad's going to be real proud," he said as he turned to shake Dean's hand too.

"We'll see you around Jerry," Sam told him.

He turned to Gillian and Sally. "You too, girls," he told them.

"Tell your aunts I was asking about them," he added.

"We will," Gillian nodded. They turned to go.

"Oh, Jerry, I almost forgot," Sally called him back. She took the jar the aunts had given her out of her bag. "You wanted this?" she asked.

Sam and Dean watched in interest as he took the jar from her. "Oh yeah. Ever since that poltergeist, I wanted some protection for my house," he explained. Sally nodded.

"You Owens women have been given a real gift, you know that?" he asked them. Sally glanced at Gillian and then quickly at Sam and Dean who were staring at them in puzzlement.

"I know some people mightn't think that," Jerry continued, not noticing the look. "But I assure you, I think it's wonderful. You can help so many people and-," he was cut off by Gillian.

"Thank you, Jerry," she said. "Oh, sorry," he replied, glancing at Sam and Dean who looked even more confused.

"Well, goodbye then," he said finally before walking away.

"What was he talking about?" Dean asked them. Sally shook her head.

"Oh, it was nothing," Gillian brushed it off. "Our aunts just have a talent for using herbs and stuff from their garden," Sally said, averting her eyes.

"Okay then," Dean said, not really buying the story. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing you," Gillian said, walking towards her car and sitting into it.

"Yeah, well, thanks for all your help," Sam replied. "Yeah, we made a good team," Dean added.

"Bye," Sally said as she too sat into the car. Sam and Dean watched as they pulled away from the kerb and drove away.

They looked at one another. "Did you get the feeling that they weren't telling us something?" Dean asked Sam. He nodded in reply. They both looked back at the car, now just a speck in the distance.

"Well, they're both pretty different from normal girls, huh?" Sam commented.

"I'll say," Dean replied.

xxxxxx

A couple of months passed by. It had been nearly 4 months since the girls had last seen Sam and Dean and helped on the hunt. Winter gave way to spring and one hot day, Sally ventured outside. She leaned her head back and pointed her face towards the sun, warming her face. She was sitting out the back of the house, reading. She looked up as Francis came and sat down beside her.

"Hello, darling," she smiled at her niece. Sally smiled in return.

"Do you know what day it is?" Sally asked her. Francis nodded.

"You're mother's anniversary," she replied.

"19 years ago," Sally said softly.

"I can still remember it," she said. She closed her eyes at the memory.

"I know it was a horrible thing for you to see, honey," Francis said, reaching out and patting her arm.

"Yeah, it was," Sally agreed. There was a pause.

"So, let me guess, another hunt?" Sally asked, looking up. Francis nodded, handing her a newspaper clipping. "Local Death A Medical Mystery" the headline said in bold letters.

"Dustin Burwash," Sally read out loud. "Accelerated mad cow disease," she continued.

"Well, what do you think," Francis asked her. "Oklahoma, here we come," Sally replied, standing up.

"Are the others back yet?" she asked. She was talking about Gillian, Jetty, Kylie and Antonia. They had left a few a days before for Boston where they were visiting friends.

"I called, they'll be here in about an hour," Francis told her. "Well, I'll go get packed," Sally said, disappearing into the house.

Francis stared after her, smiling sadly. Sally didn't deserve the hardships she had suffered in her life but she kept her head up and stayed going and Francis admired her for that. But she knew that Sally yearned to be normal, she didn't like being different. Gillian managed to flit about and she didn't mind but Sally wanted stability, she wanted a family. Francis just hoped that someday, she'd get it.

xxxxxx

Sally walked down the stairs just as the front door opened and Kylie and Antonia ran in. "Sally," they cried, rushing towards her.

"Look what Rebecca gave us," Kylie said as Antonia shoved her hand towards Sally's face. They both wore matching bracelets around their wrists. The bracelets were identical to the ones worn by Sally and Gillian.

"They're for protection against evil," Antonia exclaimed.

"Yeah, they are," Sally agreed, nodding her head. "So did you have fun in Rebecca's?" she asked them. They nodded their heads enthusiastically and hurried off to find Francis.

Sally looked up as her sister and her aunt arrived in. "Hello, Sally," Jetty sing-songed as she came through the door.

She hugged Sally and continued through to the kitchen. "Hey, Sal," Gillian said.

"Hi, how's Rebecca?" Sally asked her sister.

"She's good. She wants us to go visit Missouri and give her this, if we're ever passing through Kansas," she explained, holding up a small bag.

"Goofer dust?" Sally asked. Gillian nodded in reply. "So any hunts?" she continued.

Sally nodded. "We're leaving now," she said.

"I just got back!" Gillian exclaimed.

Sally shrugged her shoulders. "Evil doesn't take coffee breaks," she replied.

"Where?" Gillian relented.

"Oasis Plains, Oklahoma," Sally told her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"That was almost too easy," Gillian laughed.

They had just been talking to a construction worker who had seen what happened to Dustin Burwash. Gillian had gotten him to talk and he'd told them everything they needed to know before inviting them out for a drink. After they had declined, they walked away and Gillian started to laugh.

"Seriously, some guys have no game," she continued.

"Well, let's go and find this sinkhole," Sally said as they sat in the car.

On the way over, Gillian turned to her sister. "So, are you okay?" she asked. Sally looked at her confusedly.

"I mean, today is mom's anniversary," Gillian continued. Sally looked away.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"Well, it was a tough time for you, Sal. I know that today brings up bad memories for you," she explained.

"Gillian, I'm fine. It was 19 years ago. I've seen a lot worse since then," Sally told her.

"Yeah but you were 3 years old," Gillian said.

"Gilly, I'm fine," Sally said, a note of finality in her voice. They arrived at the sinkhole, following the directions they had been given and got out.

It was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape, flickering in the breeze. They were surprised to see a man standing over it, staring down into the deep chasm. Looking over at the car parked across the street, Gillian shook her head.

"I don't believe it," she muttered. It was Dean's Impala.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" she cried, disguising her voice. Dean;s head shot up, wildly looking around. Gillian laughed at the look on his face and he turned towards them.

"Don't do that," he said, relief on his face.

"We meet again," Gillian said, as they reached the hole.

"Where's Sam?" Sally asked, looking around.

"Down here," a voice called out from underneath. They looked down and saw Sam's face peering out.

"Well, anything down there?" Dean asked him. Sam slowly climbed out and opened his palm. A dead beetle lay in the middle of it. Sally took a step back sharply.

Sam looked up. "I don't like bugs," she explained hurriedly. Gillian shook her head.

"You're not afraid of demons, ghosts and monsters, yet you are afraid of a little beetle?" Dean asked her.

"Come on, Sal, I thought that was just when you were a kid," Gillian said exasperatedly. Sally frowned.

"Look, it's not my fault, they just creep me out, is all," Sally explained.

"You're afraid of flying," Sam pointed out.

Dean just looked at him. "Well, at least I'm not afraid of clowns," he retorted.

They all stared at Sam who blushed. "Clowns?" Gillian asked, incredulously.

Sam shrugged. "Like Sally said, they creep me out," he explained.

"Anyway, back to the beetle," Sam said, changing the subject.

"So, you found some beetles, in a hole in the ground. That's shocking, Sam," Dean said sarcastically.

"There were no tunnels, no tracks, no evidence of any other creature down there," Sam replied.

"You know, some beetles do eat meat. It's usually dead meat but-" Gillian was cut of by Sally's cry of protest.

"How many did you find down there?" Dean asked.

"10," Sam replied.

"It'd take a whole lot more than that to eat out some dude's brain," Dean said.

"Well, maybe there were more," Gillian said.

"Ah, I dunno, sounds like a stretch to me," Dean said, with doubt.

"Well, we need more information on the area, the neighbourhood," Sally told them.

"Yeah, whether something like this has ever happened before," Sam continued.

xxxxxx

Dean and Sam got back into the Impala while Sally and Gillian sat into Gillian's Buick. They followed the boys through the neighbourhood. Suddenly, Dean indicated, parking up on the kerb, beside a house with red balloons.

"Now what are we doing?" Gillian asked out loud. Sally pointed to the sign.

"Barbeque," she explained.

They got out and walked over to Sam and Dean. "I'm kinda hungry for a little barbeque, how about you?" Dean asked them as they came over.

Gillian stared at him incredulously. "What? We can't talk to the locals?" he asked her.

"And the free food has nothing to do with it?" she said, sarcastically.

"Course not, I'm a professional," he replied, brushing past her and heading in the direction of the house.

"Right," Gillian called after him, as she followed.

Sally and Sam looked at one another and rolled their eyes, both of them setting off in the same direction.

"Growing up in a place like this would freak me out," Dean commented, as he looked around.

"Why?" Sally asked him.

"The manicured lawns, the how was your day, honey? I'd blow my brains out!" Dean exclaimed.

"There's nothing wrong with normal," Sam told him.

"I'd take our family over normal any day," Dean said.

They stopped in front of the door and Sally reached out and knocked on it. It swung open and a man stood before them.

"Welcome," he said, cheerfully.

"Is this the barbeque?" Dean asked eagerly.

"Yeah, not the best weather, but…" he said, indicating the rain beginning to fall outside.

"I'm Larry Pike, the developer here, and you are?" he asked, shaking their hands.

"I'm Dean, this is Sam, Sally and Gillian," he replied, indicating each.

"Good to meet you," Larry replied.

"So you guys are interested in Oasis Plains?" he asked them.

"Yes, sir," Dean replied. Gillian clapped Sam and Sally on the back, nudging Dean.

"These two lovebirds are newlyweds, looking for a place to settle down," she said, smiling broadly.

Sally and Sam both swung around and stared angrily at her while Dean tried to suppress his laughter.

"Oh well, congratulations," Larry boomed, smiling at them both.

Dean nudged Sam hard in the ribs and he put his arm around Sally's shoulder. "Thank you," Sally said, nodding her head, a forced smile on her face.

Larry stared quizzically at Dean and Gillian. "Oh, well, Dean and Gillian are married too," Sam told Larry a smile broadening on his face.

Gillian and Dean stopped their sniggering when they heard this. "Yeah, and when they found out that Gilly had a little one on the way, they decided to look for a bigger place," Sally joined in, a smile forming on her face too.

She felt Gillian nudge her hard in the back.

"Oh, wow, congratulations to you, too," Larry turned his attention to Gillian and Dean.

"When are you due?" he asked her.

"Uh, well I-I'm 3 months along," Gillian lied, nervously.

"Yeah, I can already see the start of a baby bump," Larry said, indicating Gillian's stomach. Sally began to laugh quickly turning it into a coughing fit as Gillian sucked in her breath.

"Let me just say, we accept home-owners of any race, religion, colour or sexual orientation. And seniors are welcome too," he added.

They looked at each other and nodded their heads and Larry proceeded to invite them in.

He lead them out through the house and into the back garden. "You said you were the developer?" Sam asked.

"18 months ago, I was walking this valley with my survey team and there was nothing here but scrub brush and squirrels. And do you know what, we built such a nice place to live, I actually bought into it myself. This is our house," he said, pointing to the house they had just left.

"We're the first family in Oasis Plains," he explained. He held his arm out and a blonde woman came over. "This is my wife, Joanie," he said introducing them.

"Tell them, how much you love the place, honey, and lie if you have to 'cos I need to sell some houses," he joked. They laughed.

"Guys, will you excuse me?" he said, as he walked away.

"Don't let his salesman routine scare you, this really is a great place to live," she assured them.

A woman came up behind her. "Hi, I'm Linda Bloom, Head of Sales," she said.

"And Linda was second to move in," Joanie told them.

"She's a very noisy neighbour though," she continued as she walked away. Linda laughed.

"She's kidding, of course. I take it you guys are interested in becoming home-owners?" she asked.

"Newlyweds," Sam explained, putting his arm around Sally's shoulder again.

"Bun in the oven," Dean explained, as he patted Gillian on the stomach. She nudged him hard in the ribs and he winced in pain, quickly withdrawing his hand.

"Congratulations. Let me just say that we accept home-owners of any race, religion, colour or sexual orientation," she replied.

They all stared at one another.

"Let's go talk to Larry, okay honey?" Dean said to Gillian, turning around and heading into the house. She followed after him, laughing slightly.

They found Larry and he gave them a tour of their house.

"You got three choices, carpet, hardwood and tile," he told them after they descended the stairs.

"Whoa, someone likes bugs!" Gillian exclaimed, nodding towards the jars of insects on the table beside them.

"My son. He's into insects. He's very… inquisitive," Larry explained, slowly.

"Huh," Dean said looking towards the jars.


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter is for Hazel... thanks for all the support dude!!!**

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Who can say no to a steam shower?" Linda was asking Sam and Sally. They were standing underneath a large canopy beside a table.

"Sounds great," Sam replied.

Suddenly, Sally clutched at his sleeve. Sam followed her gaze towards the large tarantula, crawling along the table, towards Linda's hand which was resting on the table top.

She was oblivious to the spider. "I use mine everyday," she continued.

"You also have three different whirlpool touches to choose from. The hardwood for the tub includes nickel, brass-" she was cut off by Sam.

"Excuse us," Sam said, brushing around her.

He strode towards the spider, Sally reluctantly following him. Gently scooping it into his palm, Sam turned towards a teenage boy standing a little way away.

The boy had been smiling up until then, watching the spider creep closer to Linda's hand. When Sam picked it up, the smile disappeared.

"This is yours?" Sam asked him, handing overthe large spider.

"You going to tell my dad?" the boy asked, taking the spider.

"I dunno, who's your dad?" Sam replied.

"Huh, yeah, _Larry_ usually skips me in the family introductions," the boy muttered.

"Ouch, first name basis with the old man! Sound's pretty grim," Sam said.

"Well, I'm not exactly brochure material," the boy said, sarcastically.

"Well, hang in there. It gets better, alright, I promise," Sam assured him.

"What-" the boy was about to ask, when a voice called out "Matthew."

Turning around, they saw Larry striding towards them, Dean and Gillian close behind.

"I am so sorry about my son and his pet," Larry said as he arrived.

"It's no bother," Sam told him.

"Excuse us," Larry said, gripping Matthew around the arm and steering him away. Sam looked at Dean.

"Remind you of somebody?" Sam asked him, nodding in the direction they had gone. Dean looked over at Larry, who was berating Mathew. He turned back to Sam, looking at him confusedly.

"Dad?" Sam asked. Dean continued to stare at him.

"Dad never treated us like that," Dean said.

"Well, Dad never treated you like that, you were perfect. He was all over my case," Sam told him.

Dean continued to look confused. "You don't remember?" Sam asked him.

"Maybe he had to raise his voice but sometimes you were out of line," Dean replied.

"Right, when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bow hunting," Sam said in return.

"Bow hunting's an important skill," Dean said.

Sally raised her eyebrows at this comment.

"Whatever," Sam said.

"How was your tour?" Sally asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, it was excellent, we're ready to buy," Gillian said, sarcastically.

"So you might be on to something. Look's like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here," Dean told them.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead on the job. Get this, a severe allergic reaction to bee stings," Gillian told them.

"More bugs," Sally groaned.

"More bugs," Dean agreed.

xxxxxx

Later that night, Sally and Gillian followed Dean and Sam in their car.

"Hey, Sal, are you sure you're okay?" she asked. Sally looked at her.

"I mean, you don't seem like yourself," Gillian continued.

"What do you mean?" Sally asked her.

"Well, you're quieter than usual," Gillian explained. "Look, Sal, I know you, you're just not the same," she finished.

Sally turned and stared out the window. "Gillian, when I was three years old, I walked into our mothers bedroom and found her, dead, with her wrists slit open. Of course this day brings back bad memories, but I've moved past it. I'm dealing with it my own way, okay?" Sally replied.

Gillian sighed. "Okay, but I'd just wish that you'd talk to me," she told her. There was a short silence.

"Now what are they doing?" Gillian said, exasperatedly, focusing her attention on Dean's car in front.

It had turned into the driveway of one of the empty houses. They stared as Dean got out and began to lift up the garage door.

"What are you doing?" Gillian called out the window.

"It's too late to talk to anybody else," Dean explained.

"You're going to squat in an empty house?" Gillian replied, incredulously.

"I wanna try the steam shower," he told her, winking. "You're welcome to join us," he continued.

Dean turned towards Sam who was driving the car. "Come on," he said, waving him in.

Gillian turned to Sally. "What do you think?" she asked. Sally shrugged in reply.

"Dean better not hog that shower," Gillian said, as she too turned the car into the driveway and drove it into the garage.

xxxxxx

Dean and Gillian stood in the kitchen of the house and looked up as Sam walked in. "Hey, is Sally okay?" he asked as he came through the door.

"You noticed too, huh?" Gillian said.

"Uh, today is the anniversary of our mom's death," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Dean said. Gillian nodded.

"19 years ago. I was 6, Sally was 3," she continued.

"Does Sally even remember her?" Dean asked.

"Sally probably remembers her more than me," she said softly.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Sal found her," she said, looking at the floor. "Our mother killed herself," she told them.

"It was a couple of months after our dad died. She- she felt like it was her fault that he was dead and she became depressed. I was at school when it happened," she said.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about it," Dean said, taking a step forward. She shook her head.

"No, I'm okay. Sal went into the bedroom. Mom had slit her wrists. She had died almost instantly. There was a lot of blood, you know?" she said, looking up, her eyes bright with tears.

Sam shook his head.

"What get's me the most, is that Sal had to find her like that. She was 3 years old and I don't think she's ever quite gotten over it," Gillian finished.

Dean put his hand on her arm gently. He looked up as Sam turned and walked out of the room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Sally stood at the window, staring out at the bright moon above her. "Hey," a voice said behind her.

She turned and saw Sam standing in the doorway. She smiled in reply. "Gillian told us that today is your mom's anniversary," he said, taking a step closer.

"Yeah, it is. She died 19 years ago," Sally said.

"Yeah, Gillian told us what happened. I'm so sorry that you had to find her like that, Sally," he said softly. She nodded in reply.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her. She nodded again.

"Gillian wants me to talk to her but I just can't," Sally explained. "Not about our mom, I can't," she continued.

"So what happened?" he asked her.

She took a deep breath.

"Well, Gilly was in school and I was at home with my mom. Our dad had died about 4 or 5 months before and she was pretty broken up about it. She- she felt that it was her fault that he had died," she explained.

Then she told him what happened.

xxxxxx

_19 years ago_

Sally looked at the TV screen in front of her. She watched as her favourite cartoon characters capered across the screen. She looked up as her mother appeared in the doorway.

"Are you okay, Sal?" she asked. Sally nodded in reply.

"I'll fix you some sandwiches in a little while when you get hungry," Regina continued. Sally nodded again.

"Okay, Mommy," she replied.

Regina left the room and Sally again turned her attention to the screen. Even at such a young age, she could hear the difference in her mothers tone of voice. Ever since her father had died, her mother had been sad. She never smiled anymore and sometimes Sally would catch her crying. She always made up an excuse, saying she had stubbed her toe but Sally knew the real reason. Seeing her Mommy upset made Sally sad too.

She watched the cartoon's for what felt like ages and finally she got up when her stomach rumbled loudly. Walking into the kitchen, she looked around. She frowned slightly when she realised her mother was not there. Then, she heard a loud noise from above. Turning around, she headed for the stairs. She stopped at the end and looked up.

"Mommy!" she called out. She was surprised when she heard no reply. Her mother didn't usually not answer her and she was confused by the sudden silence. She began to climb the stairs, slowly, holding onto the banisters carefully. When she reached the top, she looked down the landing towards the door to her mothers room. It was slightly ajar and she could see the sunlight coming in through the window. She began to walk towards the door and pushed it open.

Her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her. She remained rooted to the spot, not able to move. Her mother was lying across the bed, eyes wide and staring. Sally knew at once she was dead. But the thing that had her most horrified was the sight of blood pouring from her mothers wrists. It was seeping onto the bedclothes below, staining the white sheets crimson.

Sally stared for a few seconds, hardly daring to breath. She didn't know what to do. She took a step backwards, away from the awful sight. Opening her mouth, she sucked in a deep breath and let out a piercing scream. She stopped suddenly and the silence hurt her ears. She realised that she was shaking violently and she grabbed at the walls for support. Downstairs, she heard the backdoor opening and she stiffened.

"Regina?" a voice called out. Sally recognised it as belonging to their next door neighbour.

"Regina? Is everything all right? I heard a scream and-," the woman stopped talking when she rounded the corner and spied Sally standing at the top of the stairs. Taking note of Sally's pale face and the tears streaming down her face, she quickly hurried up the stairs.

"Sally? What's wrong?" she asked when she reached her.

Sally didn't reply, just turned and looked at the door of her mothers room. The woman looked over and gasped in horror when she seen the horrible scene.

"Oh my God," she cried, rushing into the room. Sally watched as she felt for a pulse on her mothers neck, and then, finding none, as she ran past Sally down the stairs to the phone and dialled 911.

xxxxxx

"I don't really remember much after that. The neighbour came back up the stairs and took me away from it all. I think then it hit me that my Mom was gone and she wasn't coming back. Me and Gillian were orphans," Sally said all this with her back to Sam but she turned around to face him.

The tears had slowly fallen down her cheeks and he could see the wet trails glinting in the moonlight, streaming in from the window.

"What I don't understand is how she could leave me and Gillian. I know what she must have been going through. Losing someone you love so much and then feeling like it's your fault, I understand that, I really do. But I can't believe that she would do that to us. She loved us, I know she did, even when I was that young, I knew. And now, I feel like there was something I could have done, like I could've stopped her," she turned away again and fell silent.

Sam slowly walked towards her and took her hand in his. She looked up into his face.

"Sally, there was nothing you could have done. You were 3 years old. Of course, you didn't understand," he assured her.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She leaned her face against his chest.

"Thank you for listening, Sam," she whispered.

xxxxxx

The next morning, Gillian began rapping on the bathroom door. She clutched a pile of towels in her hand. "Are you ever coming out of there?" she shouted.

"What?" Dean shouted back.

"Come on, Dean, I wanna try the shower. You've been in there forever," she complained.

"Hold on," he replied. The door swung open and Dean's head appeared around the door, wrapped like a turban with a towel.

"This shower is awesome," he told her, steam billowing out.

"Yeah, well, I want to get a shower too," she told him, frowning.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gillian, but there's only room for one but you could maybe squash in beside me," he said, raising his eyebrows. She just continued to stare at him, the frown deepening.

Suddenly, Sam came around the corner.

"A police call just came in on the scanner. Someone was found dead three blocks from here," he told them. "Come on," he called over his shoulder as he headed back around the corner.

"Sorry, Gillian, you're out of luck. Maybe next time," Dean said as he slammed the door.

"But I want to try that shower," Gillian whined, stamping her foot but there was no-one around to hear her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

They watched as the coroners wheeled out the black body bag. Spotting Larry, they opened up the large umbrellas they were carrying and headed towards him. "Look I don't know anything more right now. I'll have to call you back," he was saying into the phone in his hand. He looked up as they approached.

"Hello, you're back early," he greeted them, morosely.

"Yeah, we drove in, just wanted to take another look at the neighbourhood," Dean replied.

"What's going on?" Sally asked him.

"You guys met Linda Bloom at the barbeque?" he asked them.

"The realtor?" Sam said.

"Well, she, uh, passed away last night," he told them.

"What happened?" Gillian asked. He shrugged.

"They're still trying to find out. I identified the body for the police," he said, turning to look over at the cops, standing at the door of the house. One of them motioned him over.

"I'm sorry, this isn't a good time," Larry said.

"It's okay," Sally replied.

"Excuse me," he said as he walked over to the cop.

"You know what we have to do, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, get in that house," Sam said.

"See if we got a bug problem," Gillian continued. Sally groaned.

xxxxxx

They waited until the police car had left and hopped over the fence separating Linda's house from the one next door. Balancing on the fence, Gillian hoisted herself up onto the window sill, and slowly opened the window. She looked in and turned and gave the others the thumbs up as she stepped inside.

Dean went next, followed by Sally and then Sam. He turned and closed the window behind him. They stood inside and stared down at the outline of the body that had been made using masking tape and the large pool of blood beside it.

"This looks like the place," Dean said.

"Really?" Gillian said sarcastically. Dean frowned at her.

Sally pushed by them and made her way into the adjoining bathroom. The glass shower door was broken and she stepped over the glass, crunching slightly. A towel lay in the middle of the floor and Sam knelt down to pick it up. As he did so, 5 or 6 dead spiders fell out of it. Sally stepped back, fast.

"Spiders," Gillian said.

"From Spider Boy?" Dean asked.

"Matt," Sam corrected him. "Maybe," he continued.

xxxxxx

Later that day, they stopped and watched as Matt stepped off a school bus and crossed the street.

"Isn't his house that way?" Dean asked.

"Yep," Sally replied. They watched as he stepped into the woods beside the road and disappeared from view.

"So where's he going?" Gillian asked.

They got out of the car and began to follow him. They came up behind him just as he picked up a large bug from a tree branch in front of him. He turned when he heard them approach from behind, Sally warily eying the bug perched on his hand. "Hey, Matt, remember us?" Sam asked him.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked them suspiciously.

"We want to talk to you," Dean replied.

"You're not here to buy a house, are you?" he questioned. Gillian shrugged.

"Wait, you're not serial killers?" Matt asked, worriedly, backing away from them slightly. They laughed.

"No, no, I think you're safe," Sally assured him.

"So, Matt, you sure know a lot about insects," Dean pointed out.

"So?" he asked.

"Did you hear what happened to Linda, the realtor?" Gillian inquired.

He nodded. "I heard she died this morning," he replied.

"That's right. Spider bites," Dean told him. Sam looked at him sharply.

"Matt, you tried to scare her with a spider," Sally said.

"Wait, you think I had something to do with that?" he asked, incredulously.

"You tell us," Dean said.

"That tarantula was a joke. Anyway that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy," he pointed out.

"You know about those?" Sam asked him. He nodded.

"There is something going on here. I don't know what but something's happening with the insects," he told them.

Sally looked at Gillian. "Let me show you something," Matt told them, turning and heading into the forest. They began to follow him.

"So if you knew all about this bug stuff, why didn't you tell your dad? Maybe he could clear everybody out," Sally asked him.

"Believe me, I've tried but _Larry_ doesn't listen to me," Matt told her.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Mostly, he's too disappointed in his freak son," Matt continued. Sam nodded.

"I hear you," he said. Dean looked at him.

"You do?" he asked. Sam looked back at him before turning to Matt.

"Matt, how old are you?" Sam asked him.

"16," Matt replied.

"Well, don't sweat it 'cos in 2 years something greats going to happen," Sam assured him.

"What?" Matt asked.

"College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from you're dad," Sam told him.

"What kind of advice is that? Kid should stick with his family," Dean said. Sam stopped to stare at Dean.

"How much further, Matt?" Sally asked him quickly.

"We're close," he told her as he continued into the forest. Sally and Gillian followed, Gillian raising her eyebrows at her sister.

They reached a large clearing and were amazed to see all the insects buzzing and chirping around. Sally took a step back. "You go on ahead. I'm going to stay here," she told them.

They nodded and continued on. "I've been keeping track of insect populations, it's part of an AP science class," Matt explained.

"You two are like peas in a pod," Dean commented. Gillian shot him a look but Sam ignored him.

"What's been happening?" he asked.

"A lot. I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles, you name it, it's like they're congregating here," Matt continued.

"Why?" Dean asked. Matt shrugged.

"I dunno," he replied. Sam frowned and looked at a large mound in the corner of the clearing.

"What's that?" he asked. Matt shook his head. Dean made his way over to the mound, closely followed by the others. Stepping up on it, he put his foot in a large pile of worms. They fell down to reveal a big hole. Kneeling down, Dean picked up a long stick and began to tap around in the hole.

There was a hollow knocking sound and he turned to the others. "There's something down there," he told them.

He reached his hand down into the hole, a look of disgust on his face. "Come on, come on," he muttered to himself as he rooted around. Finally he grabbed something and began to draw it out of the ground. Shaking the dirt and worms off it, he realised it was a human skull.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Dean and Sam waited in the car while Sally and Gillian brought the skulls they had found into the department of anthropology at the local college. Dean had found several more skulls in the hole and they brought them in to be tested to see how old they were. They watched as Sally and Gillian made their way into the building.

"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave," Sam said.

"Yeah, could be this is a haunting. Pissed off spirits, some unfinished business," Dean replied.

"Yeah, maybe. The only question is why bugs and why now?" Sam said.

"Ah, that's 2 questions," Dean replied. Sam shook his head.

xxxxxx

"So, you two are students?" the professor asked as he came towards them, holding the box if skulls in his arms. Sally and Gillian had been waiting in his classroom for his return.

"Yeah, we're in you're class. Anthro 101," Sally told him. The man nodded.

"So, what about the bones, Professor?" Gillian asked him.

"Well, this is quite an interesting find you've made. I'd say they're 170 years old, give or take," the professor told them. Sally and Gillian looked at one another.

"The time frame and the geography heavily suggests Native American," he continued.

"Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" Sally asked.

"Not according to the historical record but the relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time," he told them.

"Right, well, are there any local legends, oral histories about the area?" Sally asked him.

"Well, you know, there's a Yuchi tribe in Sapulpa, it's about 60 miles from here. Someone out there might know the truth," he finished.

"All right," Gillian said, smiling.

xxxxxx

"Hey, so, with that kid back there, how could you just tell him to ditch his family like that?" Dean asked Sam. They were sitting in the car waiting for the girls to return.

"Just, eh, I know what the kid's going through," Sam replied.

"How about telling him to respect his old man, how's that for advice?" Dean asked.

"Dean, come on, this isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect Dad. That's what this is about," Sam said in reply.

Dean shook his head. "Just forget it, sorry I brought it up," Dean said, looking away.

"I respected him. But no matter what I did it was never good enough," Sam continued.

"So what are you saying, that Dad was disappointed in you?" Dean asked him.

"Was? Is. Always has been," Sam told him.

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked, confusedly.

"Because, I didn't want to bow hunt or hustle pool because I wanted to go to school and live my life which in our whacked out family made me the freak," Sam said.

Dean shook his head again, chuckling slightly. "Yeah, you were kinda like the blonde chick in the Munster's," he said.

Sam continued to look at him. "Dean, you know what most dads are when their kids score a full ride? Proud. Most dad's don't toss their kids out of the house," Sam said, bitterly.

"I remember that fight. In fact I seem to remember a few choice phrases coming out of your mouth," Dean retorted.

"You know, truth is, when we finally do find Dad, I don't even know if he's gonna want to see me," Sam said.

"Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you. Never. He was scared," Dean explained.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked him.

"He was afraid of what could've happened to you if he wasn't around. But even when you two weren't talking, he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could, keep an eye on you, make sure you were safe," Dean told him.

"What?" Sam asked softly.

Dean nodded his head. "Why didn't he tell me any of that?" Sam asked.

"Well, it's a two way street, dude, you could've picked up the phone," Dean replied.

There was a silence which was broken when Sally opened the car door. She poked her head in and seemed to sense the tension.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, looking from one face to the other. Sam shook his head.

"So, what did you get?" Dean asked. Sally told them everything they had learned about the bones.

"So I think we should head out to Sapulpa now, before dark," she finished. Dean nodded in agreement and started the car.

"Let's just take one car, though, it'll be faster," he said. Sally nodded and sat in.

"Where's Gillian?" Sam asked, looking around.

"She's coming. She just got a little side tracked," Sally explained, nodding her head in the direction of the building they had just exited from. Following her gaze, Dean and Sam saw Gillian surrounded by college students, all of them male.

"She tends to have that effect sometimes," Sally explained to them, smiling slightly.

xxxxxx

They finally reached their destination after a 40 minute drive. Getting out of the car, Gillian warily eyed the dog eating out of a garbage can. When the dog looked up and saw her, he immediately trotted over and sat looking up at her. As soon as it saw Sally, it did the same.

"Looks like you have an admirer," Dean commented when he saw. Gillian and Sally just looked at one another uncomfortably.

"Come on, let's go," Gillian said walking up the porch steps of a small café they had stopped outside. The dog proceeded to follow them up the steps.

"He really likes you," Sam said, smiling down at it. Dean opened the door and walked in, closely followed by Sam. Sally looked down at the dog at her feet. She whispered something under her breath and the dog turned and scampered down the steps.

Sally looked at her sister and then followed Sam and Dean into the café.

Looking around, they saw an old Native American man sitting at a booth with a pack of cards. He was laying them out on the table and turning them over. They approached the table.

"Joe White Tree?" Sam asked. The man nodded silently.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright?" Sally said.

"We're students from the university," Dean said.

"No you're not. You're lying," Joe replied, returning to his cards. Gillian shot him a look.

"Um, well, the truth is-," Dean began before the old man cut him off.

"Do you know who always starts sentences with "the truth is"? Liars," he told them. Dean looked at Sam.

"Have you heard of Oasis Plains. It's a housing development near the Ottoka Valley?" Sam asked him.

Joe looked up at Dean. "I like him. He's not a liar," he said. Dean frowned and ran his hand over his face in frustration.

"I know the area," Joe answered.

"What can you tell us about the history there?" Gillian asked him.

"Why do you want to know?" Joe questioned.

"Something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there," Sally said. She paused and then continued, "Native American bones."

Joe sighed and looked up.

"I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. 200 years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American Calvary came to relocate them. They were resistant. The Calvary, impatient, as my grandfather put it "On the night when the moon and the sun shared the sky as equals" the Calvary first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the Calvary came again, and the next and the next. And on the sixth night, the Calvary came one last time and by the time the sun rose, every man, woman and child still in the village was dead." He paused and looked down. "They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens, that no white man would ever tarnish these lands again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley and it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the Calvary had brought upon his people," Joe finished.

Dean looked around. "Insects," he said.

"Sounds like nature to me," Gillian added.

"6 days?" Sam asked. Joe nodded.

"And on the night of the 6th day, none would survive," he told them.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

As they walked back to the car, Sam asked "When did the gas company man die?"

"Uh, let's see. We got here Tuesday so Friday the 20th," Dean replied.

"March 20th? That's the spring equinox," Sally said.

"The night the sun and the moon share the sky as equals," Gillian said.

"So every year around this time, anyone in Oasis Plains is in danger," Sam stated.

"Larry built his neighbourhood on cursed land," Sally added.

"And on the 6th night, that's tonight," Dean exclaimed.

"If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise," Gillian said.

"So how do we break a curse?" Sam asked.

"You don't break a curse. You get out of it's way. We gotta get those people out now," Dean said as he sat into the car.

xxxxxx

"Yes, Mr. Pike, there's a mainline gas leak in your neighbourhood," Dean said into the phone. They were on their way back, Dean driving as fast as he could.

"God, really, and how big?" Larry asked.

"Well, it's fairly extensive, I don't want to alarm you but we need you're family out of the vicinity for at least 12 hours or so, just to be safe," Dean replied.

"And who is this again?" Larry asked.

"Travis Weaver, I work for Oklahoma Gas and Power," Dean answered.

"Well, the problem is, I know Travis, he's worked with us for years, so who is this?" Larry said angrily.

"Uh," Dean stalled before giving up and slamming the phone shut.

Sam sighed, grabbing it out of Dean's hand. "Give me the phone," he muttered. Flipping it up, he dialled Matt's number.

"Hello," Matt answered.

"Matt? It's Sam," Sam said.

"Sam, my backyard is crawling with cockroaches," he said frantically into the phone.

"Matt, listen, you have to get your family out of that house right now, okay?" Sam said urgently.

"What? Why?" he asked confusedly.

"Because something's coming," Sam said in reply.

"More bugs?" Matt asked.

"Yeah a lot more," Sam said.

"My dad doesn't listen in the best of circumstances. What am I supposed to tell him?" Matt asked.

"You got to make him listen, okay?" Sam said.

Gillian reached up and grabbed the phone from Sam.

"Give me the phone," she said. "Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth. They'll just think you're nuts," she ordered into the phone.

"But, he's my dad," Matt began before Gillian cut him off.

"Tell him that you have a sharp pain in your right side and you have to go to the hospital, okay?" she told him.

"Yeah, yeah okay," Matt agreed, before hanging up.

Sally turned to Gillian. "We have to do something," she whispered quietly so that Sam and Dean wouldn't hear.

"What can we do?" Gillian asked, frowning slightly. "We can't let them see," she exclaimed in a low voice nodding her head towards Sam and Dean.

"I know, there might be another way," Sally told her. "It won't stop the curse from happening but it will keep us safe from it," she explained.

"Okay, then let's do it," Gillian said, nodding eagerly.

"Yeah, but I'll need to get to the trunk to get some herbs," Sally told her. Gillian nodded.

"Hey, can we stop by my car? I need to get some stuff out of it," Gillian asked Dean.

"We don't have time for that. Can't it wait?" Dean replied, impatiently.

"No, it can't, Dean. This is important," Gillian retorted, frowning at him.

"Hey guys, now is not a good time to fight," Sam said.

"Look, it'll just take a second, please," Sally pleaded.

"Fine," Dean nodded. Gillian sat back, a triumphant look on her face.

xxxxxx

20 minutes later, they pulled up beside the car. Sally hopped out closely followed by Gillian.

"What do you need?" she asked as she opened the trunk. Sally immediately began rooting around through the small jars of herbs that filled the trunk.

"Ginseng to rid the curse, sage and balm of gilead for protection," she muttered almost to herself as she poured little bits of each herb from the small glass bottles.

She tossed them all into a small round bowl and began to grind them all together. Looking around, she noticed Dean coming towards them. "Go distract him. I'll take care of this," Sally ordered.

Gillian obeyed and hurried over to Dean, stopping him from seeing what Sally was doing. "Is this going to take much longer? What are you doing?" Dean asked, trying to see around Gillian. Sally began to mutter an incantation under her breath.

"Yeah, she's nearly done," Gillian replied, glancing over her shoulder at Sally.

Sally quickly tipped the contents of the bowl into a small satchel and straightened up. She stuffed it into her pocket and slammed the hood down as she came around the car.

"Come on, let's go," she said as she hurried by and sat into the car. Dean stared at Gillian suspiciously as she brushed past him but he followed her to the Impala.

xxxxxx

Pulling up outside the Pike house, they could see the lights still burning inside. "Dammit, they're still here. Come on," Dean muttered as he turned off the engine and opened the door. As they headed towards the door, it opened and Larry came out, closely followed by Matt.

"Get off my property before I call the cops," he shouted at them.

"Mr. Pike, listen," Sally said.

"Dad, they're just trying to help," Matt told his father.

"Get in the house," he shouted at his son. Matt turned to them.

"Sorry, I told him the truth," Matt apologised.

"We had a plan, Matt. What happened to the plan?" Gillian asked him.

"Look, it's 12 a.m. They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go before it's too late," Sam said, urgently.

"Oh, yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm," Larry replied sarcastically.

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think something weird is going on around here?" Dean asked him.

Larry shook his head. "Look, I don't know who you are but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, we're going to have a problem," Larry warned them.

"Yeah, well, I hate to be a downer, but we got a problem right now," Gillian said, frowning at him.

"Dad, they're right. We're in danger," Matt told him.

"MATT, GET INSIDE NOW," Larry shouted at his son.

"NO," Matt shouted back. "Why won't you listen to me?" he asked him.

"Because this is crazy, it doesn't make any sense," Larry said.

"Look, this land is cursed. People have died here. Now are you really going to take that risk with your family?" Sam questioned him.

"Wait," Dean said, holding up his hand. They all listened. A loud buzzing noise was getting closer and closer.

"Do you hear it?" Dean asked Larry. He looked up, listening.

"What the hell?" he muttered. Suddenly, the insect lamp hanging on the porch began to crackle as insects began to hit off of it.

Staring at it in horror, Dean said "Okay, Larry, it's time to go. Where's your wife?" Larry turned to run up the porch steps but stopped at the sound of Matt's voice.

"Guys!" he exclaimed, staring over the treetops. They all looked in horror at the huge swarm of bees heading towards them.

"Oh my God," Larry said.

"We'll never make it," Gillian said.

"Everybody in the house," Dean ordered running up the porch steps.

Slamming the door shut, Sally turned to Larry. "Is there anyone else in the neighbourhood?" she asked him. He shook his head in reply.

"No, it's just us," he told her.

"Honey, what's happening?" Joanie asked, coming into the hall. "What's that noise?" she said, looking around.

"Call 911," Larry told her. She continued standing, listening to the sound.

"JOANIE?" he shouted. She snapped out of it and turned around grabbing the phone.

"I need towels," Dean said to Larry.

"Eh, the closet," he replied, directing them towards it.

Sam ran to Matt. "Hey, we gotta lock this place up. Doors, windows, fireplaces, everything okay?" he told him as they both hurried up the stairs.

"Phones are dead!" Joanie exclaimed, picking up the receiver.

"They must have chewed through the phone lines," Gillian explained. She watched as Dean placed the towels along the edges of the door. Suddenly the lights went out.

"And the power lines," Dean added as he looked up.

Sally looked around and pulled the small satchel out of her pocket. Pinching some of the dust, she threw it on Joanie.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she cried.

"This will protect you," Sally explained. She turned and did the same thing to Larry.

"Maybe my cell," Larry said, grabbing his phone. He shook his head in frustration. "No signal," he said.

"You won't get one. They're blanketing the house," Dean explained, nodding at the windows.

Hundreds of insects were landing on the windows. Sally winced slightly at the sight. Dean turned to her.

"What is that?" he said, nodding at the satchel in her hand. Looking down, she picked some up and threw it at Dean.

"We'll explain later," Gillian said, as Sally sprinkled some on her.

Sally did the same to Matt and Sam who came back down the stairs. Sam looked at her in confusion.

"Later," she said, before emptying the last of the satchels contents onto her palm. Looking down at it, she sprinkled some on herself, before throwing the rest into the air.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

They all stood and waited, watching the bugs build up on the windows outside. Sally continued to breathe heavily, eying the bugs warily. "Are you okay?" Sam asked her, in concern.

She nodded her head quickly but continued her heavy breathing. "What do we do now?" Larry asked.

"We try to outlast it," Gillian told him. Dean turned and headed for the kitchen.

"Hopefully the curse will end at sunrise," Sally said.

"Hopefully?" Larry said, nervously.

In the kitchen, Dean wrenched open a cupboard and began rooting through the various assortment of detergents, window cleaners and the like. He reached down and grabbed a can of bug spray and hurried back into the living room, slamming the door behind him.

"Bug spray?" Joanie said incredulously staring at the item in Dean's hand.

"Trust me," Dean replied.

Suddenly, there was a cracking noise from behind them. They all turned and stared at the fireplace. "What is that?" Matt asked fearfully.

Walking towards the source of the noise, Sam stopped and listened. "The flu," he muttered.

"Okay, I think everybody needs to get upstairs," Dean ordered.

"Oh no," Sally cried.

A huge swarm of bees descended from the chimney. They all began to scream, batting at the hornets around them. Suddenly, Dean stood up and began to spray a jet of fire from the can of bug spray, using his lighter. "Everybody upstairs now," Gillian shouted, ushering them all up the stairs, Dean bringing up the rear, still spraying.

Running across the landing, Larry pulled on the cord, hanging from the roof and lowered the stairs to the attic. He pushed his wife up, followed by his son, before he scrambled up the stairs closely followed by Sally, Gillian and Sam. Dean pulled himself up the last step and turned to spray at the bug as Sam quickly pulled the hatch closed, blocking of the rest of the swarm.

They were there for about half an hour, listening to the sound of the bees buzzing around below, when Sally looked up. "Oh God, what's that?" she cried, pointing to the ceiling.

Small bits of dust were beginning to fall to the ground and small holes were appearing in the wood. Dean got up to inspect it. "Something's eating through the wood," he said. Gillian joined him in staring at the holes now forming.

"Termites," Matt told them.

"Alright, everybody get back," Dean said. Sam and Sally ushered the Pikes into the corner of the small attic, while Dean and Gillian continued to stare apprehensively at the spaces in the wood. They could clearly see light peeking through now. Suddenly, with a loud ripping noise, a large section of the wood broke off and hundreds of bees began to swarm in.

Dean began frantically spraying at them, but new bees continued to invade replacing the dead ones. Gillian turned and saw a large piece of wood lying on the floor. Bending down she picked it up, and Dean, noticing what she was doing grabbed a plank of wood. Gillian rammed the board against the hole and Dean wedged the plank underneath it, propping it in place and stopping the flow of bees.

Suddenly, there was another large cracking sound and turning around, they were horrified to see another large section of wood break away. Bugs again began to pour into the attic and zoom around the room. Dean started spraying at them yet again, as Gillian turned and joined the others huddled in the corner.

Dean turned at the noise of the board of wood Gillian had found as it came loose as more termites ate around it. It, too, fell away and the bees re-entered the room. Dean cried out in frustration as the bug spray he was using ran out and he too retreated into the corner pulling his coat over his head and batting at the bugs.

Suddenly Sally glanced up at the light that began to flood the room. "Look," she cried as the bees began to fly back out through the holes. Getting up and peering out through the hole, Dean smiled as he watched the huge swarm of bees disappear into the distance and the sun begin to rise over the horizon. He looked around and took note of the red marks appearing on the faces of the others and he knew by the painful twinges on his face, that he too must have been stung by the bees.

xxxxxx

Later that day, they pulled up outside the Pike's house to be greeted by the sight of moving trucks and men loading boxes inside. Walking towards Larry, they greeted him. "What? No goodbye?" Dean asked him, smiling.

"Good timing. Another hour and we would've been gone," Larry replied, returning the smile. He reached out and grasped Dean's hand, shaking it warmly.

"For good?" Gillian asked, as he too took her hand to shake it.

"Yeah the development has been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found," he explained as he shook Sam and Sally's hands too.

"But I'm going to make damn sure, no one is going to live here again," he assured them.

"You don't seem too upset about it," Sam commented.

"Well this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career but somehow I really don't care," he explained as he glanced over at Matt, who was carrying a box out of the house. They smiled in understanding and Sam turned and walked over to Matt.

"What's this?" he asked in surprise as he watched Matt throw all his old bug jars away.

"Ah, I don't know. They kinda weird me out now," Matt explained. Sam laughed.

"Yeah I should hope so," he replied.

xxxxxx

Sally and Gillian stood beside the open trunk of Gillian's car. Bending over, Sally put the empty satchel back inside. She looked back over her shoulder at her sister. "They're suspicious," she said. Gillian nodded, looking over at Sam and Dean.

"We can't tell them. They wouldn't understand," Gillian replied.

"I don't know, Gilly, maybe we should try," Sally began.

"Sal, come on. You know how other hunters react when they find out what we are," Gillian said.

"Not all of them," Sally said. "Look at Bobby, he doesn't care," Sally pointed out.

"Well, that's a once off. Sam might understand but Dean, well, I don't think Dean would take it too well if he knew," Gillian said shaking her head.

"They're not idiots' Gillian, they're going to figure it out sometime. Or they'll find out from someone else," Sally pointed out.

"Well, we'll deal with that when the time comes," Gillian said turning around and leaning against the car.

xxxxxx

Dean watched as Sam said goodbye to Matt and walked towards the Impala. Standing beside his brother, they watched Larry and Matt talk and laugh with each other. "I want to find Dad," Sam said quietly. Dean nodded.

"Yeah, me too," he replied. Sam shook his head.

"Yeah, but, I want to apologise to him," he explained.

Dean looked at him. "For what?" he asked.

"All the things I said to him. He was just doing the best he could," Sam answered.

"Well, don't worry we'll find him and you'll apologise. And then within 5 minutes you guys will be at each others throats," Dean said, smiling.

"Yeah probably," Sam laughed.

"Anyway, what do you think?" Dean asked, nodding his head in the direction of Sally and Gillian, who were at the trunk of Gillian's car. Sam frowned.

"You know, that stuff Sally had. I want to know what it was. And why did Gillian not want me to go near the trunk of the car?" Dean asked. Sam shrugged.

"Does it really matter?" he said.

"Of course it matters, Sam. They could be dangerous. Let's face it, we really don't know that much about them. I think we should do a little checking up on these Owens women," Dean said in a low voice.

"Come on, Dean, we can't go prying into their lives like that," Sam protested.

"Ah I don't know Sam. I'd be careful around them," Dean said before straightening up as Sally and Gillian approached.

"So, we're going to head off," Gillian said.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked her.

"A friend of ours wants us to visit her so we're going to head for Kansas, I think," Gillian explained. Dean nodded.

"Well, we better get going too," he said.

"See you around," he said as he sat into the car.

"Bye Sam," Gillian said as she waved at Dean and headed across the street towards her own car.

"Listen, Sam, thank you for listening to me the other night," Sally said to Sam.

"Anytime," he replied, smiling.

"It really meant a lot," she continued.

She jumped at the sound of Gillian blowing the horn. "I better go. Bye Sam," she said, turning around with a smile.

"Bye Sally," he replied.

He watched her cross the street before he sat into the car beside Dean. "What did she say?" Dean asked him. Sam shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied looking out the window.

Dean gave him an incredulous look before starting the engine and pulling out onto the road, just as Gillian did the same thing.

They both slammed on the brakes just in time. "Hey," Dean shouted through the glass.

Gillian's reaction was similar. She held her hands in the air and frowned.

"Jerk," she muttered as Dean pulled out ahead of her. Sally chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Gillian asked, glancing at her sister.

"Nothing," she replied before she too looked out the window.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"Okay, well, this is Missouri's address," Gillian said, handing it to Sally on a slip of paper.

It had been almost a week since they had last seen Sam and Dean. They had just wrapped up a case involving a rather violent poltergeist and were now on their way to see Missouri Mosley and deliver the goofer dust from Rebecca. Sally stared down at the address. "Lawrence?" she asked surprised.

Gillian nodded. "So?" she replied.

"That's were Sam and Dean are from," Sally explained. Gillian shrugged in reply.

"Coincidence," she stated. Sally nodded her head.

xxxxxx

They pulled up in front of the house listed in the address and got out. "I don't frickin believe it," Gillian exclaimed as they hopped out of the car. She nodded at the car opposite them. Sally followed her gaze and saw the sleek black Impala with the Kansas plates.

"I seriously don't think I can stand anymore of Dean's wisecracks and smart comments," Gillian began, turning towards her sister.

Sally frowned at her. "Come on, Gillian. He's not that bad," she said.

Gillian snorted in reply as they climbed the porch steps. She was just about to lift the door knocker, when it swung open. "Don't worry, you're wife is crazy about you," the woman behind him said as he stepped out. "Thank you," he replied, nodding at Gillian and Sally as he passed

Suddenly, Missouri saw the two girls. "Oh my God," she cried, running out to embrace them both. "Look at you," she said excitedly, pulling them through the door.

"How long has it been?" she asked them.

"Must have been 5 years," Gillian replied, smiling.

"Well, you two look great. Sally, the last time I saw you, you were in high school. Now, look, at you. You're beautiful. Both of you," she said as she walked around them.

"You look great too, Missouri," Sally replied.

There was a noise behind them and they turned to see Sam and Dean sitting on two chairs. "Are you following us?" Dean demanded, standing up.

"We could ask you the same question," Gillian retorted.

"I take it you know each other," Missouri said, looking from one angry face to the other. Sally nodded in reply.

"Anyway, that poor bastard," Missouri said nodding towards the door. "His woman is cold banging the gardener," she continued.

They all looked at her in surprise. "Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asked.

"People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news," Missouri told them as she turned and began walking into an adjoining room. She stopped and stared at Sam and Dean.

"Well, Sam and Dean, come on already. I ain't got all day," she ordered as she retreated into the room. Sally and Gillian smiled at the looks of disbelief on their faces.

They followed her into the room and he stopped and stared at them. "Well, let me look at you," she said as Sam and Dean stood before her. Sally and Gillian sat down on a large couch.

Missouri laughed. "Oh, you boys sure grew up handsome. And you were one goofy looking kid, too," she exclaimed, pointing her finger at Dean. Gillian began to laugh as Dean shot her a look.

"Sam," Missouri said in a softer voice, picking up his hand. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry about your girlfriend and your father, he's missing," she said. Dean and Sam looked at each other.

"How did you know all that?" Sam asked her.

"Well, you were just thinking about it, just now," she explained.

"Well, where is he? Is he okay?" Dean asked her, worriedly.

She looked at him and shook her head. "I don't know," she told him.

"You don't know? You're supposed to be a physic, right?" Dean exclaimed. Missouri frowned at him.

"Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half, you think I'm a magician?" she said angrily as Dean wordless began to talk. Gillian again began to snigger at Dean from behind Missouri's back.

"I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room but I can't just pull facts out of thin air," she finished. Dean stared at her in shock.

"Sit, please," she ordered them, turning to take her own seat across from Sally and Gillian.

Dean frowned at Gillian as he passed by to sit down but she simply stuck out her tongue. As Dean sat down, Missouri began to scold him. "Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'm going to whip you with a spoon," she warned him.

"I didn't do anything," Dean answered in a small voice.

"Well, you were thinking about it!" she replied. Gillian shot Dean another "I told you so" look. He again frowned at her angrily.

Missouri turned to Sally and Gillian, a smile on her face. "So tell me girls, how are your aunts and the little ones?" she asked, leaning forward.

"They're good. They want to know when you're gonna visit," Sally told her.

"Sometime soon, I hope," Missouri said. "I heard about Stephanie, too," she said sadly.

"And Sally, I'm sorry about Michael," she added. Sally nodded her head in reply. "You girls don't deserve what happens, you know," she told them, shaking her head.

Dean and Sam looked confused and noticing this, Gillian quickly pulled the small satchel from her coat pocket. "Rebecca wanted us to give you this goofer dust," she explained, handing it over.

Missouri nodded. "She visited not too long ago. Everything is good over in Boston, I heard," she said, laughing slightly.

Gillian nodded before standing up. "Can I use your bathroom?" she asked.

"Of course, just straight up the stairs," Missouri replied. Gillian left the room. Sally stood up.

"I'll let you guys talk awhile," she explained, smiling as she left the room. Missouri nodded and turned to face Sam and Dean.

"So, our dad. When did you first meet him?" Sam asked her, leaning forward.

"He came for the reading, a few days after the fire. I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say, I drew back the curtains for him," she replied.

"What about the fire?" Dean asked her. "Do you know about what killed our mom?" he continued.

"A little. You're dad, he took me to your house. He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the finger prints of this thing," she explained.

"And could you?" Sam asked her seriously. She shook her head slightly.

"What was it?" Sam pressed.

"I don't know. Oh, but it was evil," she said softly.

xxxxxx

A few minutes later, Sally and Gillian returned and Sam and Dean explained to them about what was happening. "So, you think something evil is back in that house?" Missouri asked them. Sam nodded.

"Definitely," he replied. Missouri shook her head.

"I don't understand," she muttered.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"I haven't been back inside but I've been keeping an eye on the place and it's been quiet, no sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it acting up now?" she asked.

"I don't know but dad going missing and Jessica dying and now this house, all happening at once, it just feels like something's starting," Sam told her.

"That's a comforting thought," Dean remarked.

xxxxxx

**I just want to take the time to thank all those who have reviewed especially SexySadie88, C. McPherson and winchesterxgirl!!! If it wasn't for you I'd have probably given up by now so thanks!!!!:-)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Later on, Missouri stood with Gillian and Sally in the kitchen of her house, while Sam and Dean were sitting in the living room. "So, girls, we didn't get a chance to talk before," Missouri said.

"Well, we couldn't really talk about much," Gillian explained nodding towards the door to the living room.

"They don't know about you two?" Missouri asked surprised. Sally nodded.

"And we'd like to keep it that way. You know how some people get and somehow I don't think they'd be okay with it if they found out the truth about us," Gillian explained to her. Missouri nodded.

"Don't worry, you're secrets safe with me. But I don't understand how they haven't realised yet," she said.

"Well, they are getting suspicious," Sally told her.

"You know girls, I think it would be better to tell them. They might start asking around and then, well, like you said, there is some pretty strange stories out there about you," Missouri advised them.

"Yeah, well, we'll just see how it goes," Gillian said shrugging.

The door swung open behind them. "See how what goes?" Dean asked, sticking his head around the door.

"Oh, we're just discussing our friend Rebecca's new book on, um," Gillian lied.

"Herbs, her book on herbs," Sally jumped in to save her sister.

Dean nodded, an unconvinced look on his face. "Well, we were just going to head over to the house now," he explained.

"Okay, we'll come with you," Missouri said, brushing by Dean. She was closely followed by Sally, but just as Gillian was about to pass Dean he stuck out his hand and grabbed her arm.

"What's going on, Gillian?" he asked in a low voice. She looked up at him, frowning slightly.

"What are you talking about?" she replied.

"Come on. I'm not stupid. You and Sally are hiding something from us, and I want to know what it is," he said, angrily. Gillian was very aware of his hand gripping her arm and she looked down at it.

"Dean, it really is none of you're business," she told him. "Please, let go of my arm," she said.

Dean released her but continued to stand in the door. "I want you to explain this later, Gillian," he told her, staring into her eyes. She met his gaze with a cold stare of her own. They both looked up, however, when Sam called to them that they were leaving.

"Later," she hissed at him as she passed by him.

xxxxxx

The all stood in front of the large white door. Dean knocked at it and it was opened by a blonde woman with a small boy in her arms. "Dean, Sam," she said glancing from one to the other. She seemed kind of frazzled.

"Hey, Jenny, these are our friends, Missouri, Sally and Gillian," Sam told her, nodding at each one. Jenny looked at them and nodded.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show them the old house, for old time's sake," Dean asked her.

Jenny shook her head. "This isn't a good time. I'm kinda busy," she told them, about to close the door.

"Listen, Jenny, it's important," Dean began taking a step forward. He was interrupted by the smack on the back of his head.

"Ow," he cried turning to stare at Missouri.

"Give the poor girl a break, can't you see she's upset," Missouri scolded him.

Jenny turned to look at her. "Forgive this boy, he means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed," she explained.

Dean frowned at her from behind her back. "But hear me out," Missouri continued, taking a step forward.

"About what?" Jenny asked confused.

"About this house," Missouri told her.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked her, her gaze shifting from Missouri to her son.

"I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house, something that want's to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?" Missouri asked her gently.

Jenny stared at Missouri in awe. "Who are you?" she asked.

"We're people who can help, but you're gonna have to trust us, just a little," Missouri explained, in a comforting tone.

Jenny stared at her for a moment before looking at Sally, who gave her an encouraging smile, and then nodded.

xxxxxx

"There is a dark energy around here, this room should be the centre of it," Missouri said, as she lead them into a room. Jenny had allowed them into her house and now they were following Missouri around as she walked through it.

Sam looked around. "Why?" he asked.

"This used to be your nursery, Sam, this is were it all happened," she explained.

Sam gulped and looked around, glancing up at the ceiling. Dean's reaction was similar, as he looked at the spot where his mother died.

Dean pulled his E.M.F meter and began to hold it up. Missouri, who was lightly hovering her hand, over different objects in the room, turned to him. "That an E.M.F?" she asked him.

Dean nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

"Amateur," she told him as she passed by. Dean glanced up at her sharply.

Dean nudged Sam as the lights on the E.M.F began to flicker. "I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain't the thing that took your mom," she told them looking around.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. She nodded.

"How do you know?" he asked, quickly.

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's something different," she said, walking towards the closet.

"What is it?" Dean asked as she opened the door. She walked in and looked around.

"Not it. Them," she replied. "There's more than one spirit in this place," she explained.

"What are they doing here?" he asked her. She walked towards them.

"They're here because of what happened to your family. You see, all those years ago, real evil came to you. It walked this house. That kind of evil leaves wounds and sometimes wounds get infected," she replied.

Sam shook his head. "I don't understand," he said.

"This place is a magnet for paranormal energy. It's attracted a poltergeist, a nasty one. And it won't rest until Jenny and her babies are dead," Missouri continued.

"You said there was more than one spirit?" Sam questioned her.

"There is," she replied, nodding. She turned and walked back towards the closet. "I just can't quite make out the second one," she told them from inside.

There was a silence. "Well one things for damn sure. Nobody's dying in this house, ever again," Dean said sharply.

"So whatever is here, how do we stop it?" he asked Missouri stepping forward.

She looked towards Gillian and Sally. "That's where you two come in," she told them.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Later on, they all sat around Missouri's kitchen table, filling small bags with an assortment of different items in jars before them. "So what is all this stuff anyway?" Dean asked as he sprinkled some of the said stuff into one of the bags.

"Angelica root, van-van oil, crossroad dirt, a few other odds and ends," Sally explained, pointing the things out.

"Yeah, what are we supposed to do with it?" he asked, sceptically.

"We're going to put them inside the walls, in the north, south, east, west corners, on each floor of the house," Sally continued.

"We'll be punching holes in the drywall, Jenny's gonna love that," Dean said sarcastically.

"She'll live," Gillian replied, looking up at him. He caught her eye, and she smirked at him.

"And this will destroy the spirits?" Sam asked.

"It should. It should purify the house completely. We'll each take a floor but we'll work fast. Once the spirits realise what we're up to, things are gonna get bad," Missouri told him.

Gillian watched Dean as he tasted some of the thing he was putting in a bag. His expression changed to one of disgust and she shook her head at him.

"Are they ready?" Dean asked.

"Almost," Missouri replied.

"I just need you and Sam to go outside to the back garden and pick some of the leaves off the tree at the very end of the garden," Missouri ordered them. They nodded and left the room.

Gillian frowned at her. "What do you need leaves for?" she asked confused. Missouri shook her head.

"I just did that to get them out of the way. Now, you can work your magic," she explained, winking at them.

Sally bent down and held her hands over the satchels. Gillian did the same and they both began to chant an incantation in Latin together.

They straightened up just as Dean and Sam returned with the leaves in their hands. "Not them leaves," Missouri exclaimed when she saw them.

"Oh, never mind, it's not important," she told them.

xxxxxx

Dean opened the door of Missouri's house and stepped outside. He looked around and spotted Gillian's car parked across the drive. The back door was open and he walked towards the car.

Gillian was leaning over a bag, rummaging around through a pile of clothes. Her top had ridden up a little and Dean was amused to see the tattoo of a butterfly on her lower back.

He cleared his throat loudly and she jumped, turning around. "Don't do that," she exclaimed, standing up and pulling her coat from out of the bag.

"Nice tattoo," he remarked, indicating it with a nod of his head.

She smiled. "Got it done when I was 16. I lied about my age to the guy. Wasn't too hard to convince him," she replied, smiling wider at the memory.

Dean's expression changed then. "So, you told me you were going to explain what was going on," he said.

Gillian's face dropped. "Dean, really, there is nothing to tell," she insisted.

"Oh really. What were you doing in Oklahoma, when you didn't want me to go near the trunk?" he asked her.

She looked at him. "The exact same thing we were doing inside there," she said, gesturing towards the house.

Dean shook his head. "There's more to it than that, Gillian," he said, taking a step towards the trunk of the car. He reached down to open it but Gillian slide in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, angrily.

"I want to see what's in the trunk," he replied. He grabbed her hand and tried to push her out of the way but she stayed where she was.

"No, Dean," she cried.

He stopped struggling with her and realised how close his face was from hers, mere inches. He could see the light smattering of freckles across her nose and smell the cherry of her lip-gloss. This made him glance at her lips which were parted slightly and glittered in the fading sunlight. She seemed to sense the change in his demeanour and taking her chance, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

He took a step back and there was a silence as they stared at one another.

Suddenly, the sound of Gillian's phone ringing caused them both to jump. She fumbled in her pocket and flipped the phone open. "Kylie?" she said into the phone, surprise on her face. This quickly changed to one of worry.

"Calm down, sweetie, you're talking too fast, I don't know what you're saying. Where are you?" she asked, frantically. "The hospital? What happened?" she cried in fear.

Dean took a step forward. "Are they okay?" Gillian asked, frowning.

"Okay, honey, we're coming back, don't worry," Gillian said soothingly into the phone. She hung up and looked at Dean.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"M-my aunts were in a car accident," she explained. "They're in the hospital. We have to go," she said as she began to hurry towards the house. Dean followed her.

They ran into the living room where Sam, Sally and Missouri were seated. Sally stood up, straight away, fear etched on her face, before Gillian even said anything. "What's wrong?" she asked in a worried voice.

"The aunts were in a car accident. They're in the hospital," Gillian told her. Sally's face went pale.

"What about Kylie and Antonia?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know. Kylie called me from the hospital. She was upset and she said we need to get back, right away," Gillian replied. Sally nodded and turned towards Missouri.

"I'm sorry, Missouri," she began.

"Hush, now sweetheart, you go, go," she replied standing up and pulling her into a hug. She did the same to Gillian.

"Is there anything we can do?" Sam asked as he stepped forward.

"No, thanks, I don't think so," Sally replied as they headed towards the door.

"Give me a call as soon as you know anything," Missouri ordered. Gillian nodded and hurried down the porch steps.

She didn't look at Dean as she passed him, keeping her eyes on the ground.

Sally and Gillian both sat into the car and Gillian quickly pulled out and sped away.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

They made it to Provincetown in record time, Gillian driving well above the speed limit most of the way. Luckily, they weren't stopped by anyone.

Arriving in town, they headed straight for the hospital. They parked the car and ran towards the entrance.

Panting, they reached the reception desk. "Bridget and Francis Owens?" Sally asked the receptionist. She looked up and began to tap at the keyboard in front of her.

"Room 326," she told them. They said their thanks and hurried towards the elevator.

They reached the third floor and walked swiftly down the corridor, scanning the room numbers as they passed. Finally, they reached the door to 326 and pushed it open.

They entered a hospital room with two beds, each one occupied by their aunts. Sally and Gillian breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that they were awake.

Kylie and Antonia were seated either side of the bed, the younger one's head lolling onto her sisters shoulder, asleep. "Hello, dears," Jetty cried when she saw them.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Gillian asked rushing forwards.

"Oh, we're fine, just a few bumps and bruises. We'll be fixed up in no time," Francis assured them.

"That doesn't just look like a bump," Sally said, indicating the sling that was wrapped around Jetty's arm.

"Grandma broke her arm," Kylie told them, solemnly.

"Are you guys okay?" Sally asked Kylie as she nodded towards Antonia.

"We were in school," Kylie told them. "Then a teacher came and took us to the hospital," she continued.

"Where is the teacher now?" Gillian asked. There was a silence and Gillian realised what had happened.

"The teacher didn't stay?" she cried angrily. "They left you here?" she continued.

"Calm down, Gilly," Frances told her gently.

"Calm down? They left two little girls in the hospital on their own just because they're afraid of us!" Gillian stormed.

"We were here," Jetty assured her.

"You're injured. This is terrible. I'm just so sick of this town and the way we get treated here," Gillian continued to shout.

Suddenly, Antonia woke up and began to cry. Sally picked her. "Shush, Toni, it's okay, we're here now," she soothed her. Sally shoot her sister a look but she ignored her.

"What teacher was it, Kylie?" Gillian asked her.

"Ms. Reeves," Kylie said quietly. Gillian's eyes narrowed.

"Susie Reeves?" she asked, looking at her aunts. Francis nodded. "That explains it," Gillian said softly.

"What do you mean?" Kylie asked her.

"I went to school with Susie. She, well, she didn't like us very much, along with almost everybody else in the class, but she was the worst," Gillian said, in a quieter voice.

"That's like Laura Simon," Kylie told them. "She sings that stupid rhyme all the time," she continued, quietly.

Sally and Gillian looked at one another. They knew how Kylie and Antonia felt. They had been bullied throughout school for what they were. The other children were afraid of them and their parents wouldn't let them talk to the Owens girls. "Okay, I think you guys should go home now," Sally told Kylie and Antonia. "It's way past your bedtime," she exclaimed.

"What about you?" she asked her aunts.

"We have to stay overnight for observation," Frances told them. She was clearly annoyed about this.

Gillian had brightened up slightly. "Oh, cheer up, look at all the hot doctors," she replied, striding towards the door and watching them pass by. She got a few appreciative looks from many of the doctors who looked in as they walked by.

The others simply shook their heads in exasperation at her.

xxxxxx

Later, that night, after the girls had gone to bed, Sally and Gillian sat in the kitchen. "You know, I was lucky Kylie called me when she did," Gillian told her sister.

"What do you mean?" Sally asked her, confused.

"Well, Dean had me cornered outside and he wanted to see in the trunk," Gillian explained. Sally nodded.

"Speaking of which, I better call Missouri," Sally said, standing up and picking up the phone.

When Missouri picked up, Sally told her what had happened. "What about Jenny's?" she asked.

"Well, it was a nasty poltergeist but I think the house was purified," Missouri replied.

"Are Sam and Dean okay?" Sally asked.

"Yes. But I think they said something about heading back to the house, just to make sure everything was okay," Missouri explained. They chatted for a few more minutes before Sally hung up.

"Okay, well, I'm going to pay Susie Reeves a visit," Gillian said, standing up.

"Gillian, no," Sally replied.

"What? That bitch deserves a punishment. Leaving two little girls like that. Well, now she's gonna have to pick on someone her own size," Gillian exclaimed as she headed towards the door.

Sally was quicker and blocked her path. "Gillian, please, what's done is done. She'll get what she deserves but not from you," she told her.

Gillian looked at her sister and heaved a sigh. "Fine, but if I ever see that bitch again," Gillian began before Sally cut her off.

"Okay, okay, I get the message," she said, pushing her sister backwards.

xxxxxx

The next day, Sam and Dean were driving away from Lawrence. They were shaken up about the previous nights events after seeing their mother's ghost. Sam was on his phone.

"No, Dad was in California last we heard from him," he was saying. "We just thought, he comes to you for munitions, that you may have seen him in the last few weeks. Just call us if you hear anything" he continued. There was a short pause. "Okay, thanks," he said before hanging up.

"Caleb hasn't heard from him?" Dean asked.

"Nope. Neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim," Sam said. "You know, maybe we should call the feds, file a missing persons," Sam suggested.

Dean shook his head. "No, we talked about this. Dad would be pissed if we put the feds on his tail," Dean replied.

"I don't care anymore. I mean after all that happened yesterday, he should have been there Dean. I mean, you said so yourself, you tried to call him and nothing," Sam said in return.

"I know," Dean muttered.

"You know, he could be dead for all we know," Sam exclaimed.

"Don't say that. He's not dead, he's just…" Dean trailed off.

"He's what? He's hiding, he's busy?" Sam replied. Dean didn't reply. There was a short silence.

"Where are we going anyway?" Sam asked. Dean didn't reply.

"Dean?" Sam asked again.

"Massachusetts," Dean told him, in a quiet voice.

"For what?" Sam asked confused.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Please don't tell me you're going to see Sally and Gillian," Sam said in a wary voice.

When Dean didn't answer him Sam rubbed his hand across his face. "Dean, you can't just go barging in there. What is your problem with them?" he questioned.

"I don't know Sam, but I trust my instincts and my instincts are telling me that they're keeping something from us," Dean replied.

"Dean, we only just met them. They're not gonna blurt out their whole life story to us. So what if they have secrets?" Sam exclaimed.

"Sam, we met them over 4 months ago and we still don't know anything about them," Dean replied.

"So, what do you think they're hiding?" Sam asked in a tired voice. Dean shrugged.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out," he finished as he stepped on the accelerator.

xxxxxx

**Sorry about the delay... things have been a little hectic!! Next chapter... Sam and Dean find out about the big secret!!!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

A few hours later, they drove into Provincetown, the town where Sally and Gillian lived. It was a beautiful day and they could see the sunlight winking off the ocean ahead of them. The town was located on a small island and they had to cross a bridge to arrive. "So, do you know where they live?" Sam asked sarcastically.

Dean looked at him and frowned. "No," he admitted.

"Do you want me to call Sally and ask?" Sam continued as if he were speaking to a child, taking out his phone and flipping it open.

"No!" Dean exclaimed, loudly as he made a swipe for the phone. Sam held it out of his reach.

"We want to catch them by surprise," he explained.

"Dean," Sam began but he stopped when Dean pulled over and hopped out. Sam followed him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at him. Dean stopped an old lady walking by.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said. She looked up at him.

"Yes, dear?" she said smiling.

"I was wondering if you could tell us where some friends of ours live?" he asked her.

"Of course, I know everyone around here. What are their names?" she said, kindly.

"Gillian and Sally Owens," he replied.

Suddenly, the old woman's face darkened. "The Owens women? W-what do you want with them?" she asked in a fearful voice.

"Like I said, they're friends of our," Dean told her slowly.

She shook her head. "You-you shouldn't," she stammered.

"Shouldn't what?" Sam asked confused. She looked at him.

"Any man that get's involved with an Owens woman is bound to end up 6 feet under," she warned them. They frowned and then looked at one another.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Those women are cursed," she continued. "But that's not the worst of it. They're-they're," the woman was having trouble getting the word out.

"They're what?" Dean asked her urgently.

"Witches," she whispered, in a frightened voice.

Dean and Sam looked at one another again, recognition dawning on their faces. They thanked the old woman and turned around slowly.

"I told you there was something different about them," Dean exclaimed.

"Witches?" Sam asked in a shocked voice.

"I can't believe it. They work with demons. Hell, they're in league with them. We have to stop them," Dean said angrily.

"Stop them?" Sam stared at his brother in horror. "You mean, kill them?" he cried.

"You heard what the old lady said, they kill men. It must be some sort of human sacrifice thing. They're evil, Sam, " Dean said, angrily. "It's a wonder we're still alive," he continued.

"Dean, think about this for a second. Sally and Gillian are hunters. Why would they work with demons?" Sam asked him furtively.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, but we have to do something," he insisted.

"Let's just ask around a little more," Sam told him. Dean looked sceptical but nodded his head in agreement.

But the reaction to the mention of the Owens women was similar with everybody.

"They kill their husbands," one woman insisted. Her friend, however, contradicted her.

"They're not murderers. They could just shake your hand and then you could turn up dead. It's all very mysterious," she told them.

"At Halloween, they all jump off the roof and fly," an excited little boy piped up.

"If they get mad at you, they hex you," a second little boy continued.

Dean turned to Sam. "You can't tell me something is not up!" he exclaimed. Sam didn't know what to think.

"I just can't imagine Sally and Gillian performing human sacrifices," he insisted.

"Sam, nothing would surprise me," Dean replied.

They asked a few more people. "The Owens women?" one man said.

"Boy, they're something aren't they?" he asked an awed look on his face. His wife elbowed him in the ribs, an annoyed look on her face.

"They, well, I don't think they're evil but they are definitely witches," she told them. "There's just something about them. They have certain effects on men, well," she broke off gesturing towards her husband, who still had a slightly dreamy look on his face.

Sam and Dean began to walk down a small street. "I should have known," Dean muttered.

"How could you have? They weren't worshipping any black alters or calling on any higher powers, Dean," Sam pointed out. Dean was about to reply, when suddenly he stopped and stared across the street.

There, parked up on the kerb, was Gillian's red Buick. Directly behind it, was a small shop. Above the door, in ornate gold script were the words "Owens Practical Magic". They looked at each other and immediately crossed the street. The little shop window was decorated with bottles and jars of creams, shampoos and other similar items.

"Be careful," Dean warned his brother, as he opened the door and stepped inside.

xxxxxx

Gillian was sweeping the floor of the shop, carefully brushing under the shelves while Sally stood upon a stool, placing jars onto the top shelf. The place was empty besides the two of them. Suddenly, the bell above the door jingled and Sally almost fell off the stool in surprise of who walked through the door.

Sam and Dean stood in the middle of the floor, looking around. "What are you doing here?" Gillian exclaimed in surprise.

Dean turned to look at her. "We have to talk," he replied gruffly. He glared at the both of them angrily and Sally stepped off the stool warily.

She glanced at Sam who was frowning at her. "Talk about what?" Gillian asked nonchalantly.

"I think you know, Gillian," Dean told her, narrowing his eyes.

Sally and Gillian glanced at each other and then back to Sam and Dean. "We know," Sam said, quietly, looking at the floor.

Sally sighed. "Okay, so let's talk," Gillian said, stepping forward.

"What do you want to know?" she asked. Dean seemed surprised by her reaction.

"What demon are you working for?" he demanded. Gillian's face contorted.

"How dare you suggest we work for demons!" she shouted angrily.

"You don't?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Of course not," Sally replied. "We're not evil. We were born with the power of magic, we're not witches by choice," she continued.

Dean and Sam looked at one another. "Well, why do you kill men?" Dean continued, still unconvinced.

"We don't kill men," Gillian exclaimed.

"The people we asked said you did," Sam explained.

"The people in this town don't understand. They're afraid of us," Gillian told them.

"It's a curse," Sally said.

"A curse?" Dean asked, confused.

"Any man that falls in love with an Owens woman is doomed to die," she continued.

"I don't understand," Sam said, frowning.

"Look, you should come up to the house and we'll explain everything there," Sally said. Dean shrugged slightly.

"I don't know," he began.

"Dean, we're not gonna hurt you," Gillian assured him.

He looked at Sam and then nodded.

He had his hand behind his back since he came into the shop but then he let it drop to his side. He was holding a knife. Gillian looked at it in disbelief.

"You were going to kill us?" she asked, shocked.

"Only if I had to. Now I know you're not dangerous," he replied.

"Oh believe me, we can be lethal when we want to be," Gillian warned as she walked by.

xxxxxx

Gillian glanced in her rear-view mirror at the black Impala following them. "I told you we should have told them," Sally cried.

"Well, we'll explain everything now," Gillian replied.

"They were going to kill us, Gillian," Sally exclaimed. Gillian shook her head.

"No they weren't," she insisted. But Sally still looked unconvinced.

Meanwhile, Sam was berating Dean. "You brought a knife?" he cried.

"It was just a precaution," Dean told him.

"Dean, you were going to kill them!" Sam continued. Dean shook his head.

"Only if I had to," he said.

"Only if you had to?! Dean!" Sam shouted, angrily.

"Be quiet, Sammy, we're here," Dean muttered as he followed Gillian's car, down a winding lane.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

They rounded a corner and Dean let out a low whistle. "Wow, that's some house," he said, glancing up at it. In the distance, they could see the blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Dean pulled up beside Gillian's car and hopped out, closely followed by Sam.

"Nice house," he commented. Gillian looked up.

"It's been in the family for over 200 years. Of course, it's been added to a lot," she explained.

"So, I guess you have to meet the aunts," Sally said as she walked up the porch step and took a key from her pocket. She unlocked the large front door and stepped inside.

Gillian followed being trailed by Sam and a wary Dean. Gillian noticed his expression. "Don't worry, Dean, we're not gonna offer you as a human sacrifice," she told him, a smile on her face.

He frowned at her as Sam passed by.

"Anyway," she continued in a low voice, "the curse only works if an Owens woman is in love with a guy and believe me," she paused and looked him up and down, her smile disappearing, "I certainly don't feel that way about you."

With that, she turned and flounced into the house. Dean muttered something inaudible under his breath as he followed her inside. He closed the door behind him and looked around. They were standing in a large entrance hall. Directly in front of them, a large staircase wound it's way to the upper floors. Gillian walked through a large archway to the left and following, they found themselves in a bright, airy kitchen.

" Aunt Jetty, Aunt Francis," Sally called out, laying her bag on the table. The back door opened and two women walked through. They must have been in their late 40's or early 50's but they were still both very beautiful. They looked like two older versions of Sally and Gillian. One had long brown hair, streaked with grey while the other one had very light strawberry blonde hair.

The brown-haired one stepped forward, a smile on her face. "You must be Dean and Sam Winchester," she said, extending her hand.

Sam took it. "How did you know?" he asked.

"Well, you look very like your father," she explained.

"You know our dad?" Dean asked surprised. The red head nodded.

"You haven't heard from him, have you?" Sam asked.

"Oh, we haven't seen John in years," she continued shaking her head.

"Come and sit down in here," she said, ushering them in through another door.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?" the brunette, who had introduced herself as Francis asked. Dean was about to open his mouth when Sam cut in.

"No, thank you, we're fine," he answered, shooting a glance at his brother. Dean glared back.

"So, Sally and Gillian finally got around to telling you about us," Jetty asked, looking at her nieces.

"Actually, we kinda found out from the people in town," Sam replied. Francis chuckled.

"That couldn't have been good," she said.

"Well, seeing as Dean came to find us armed with a knife, I'd say it wasn't too great," Gillian said, sarcastically.

"Look, they told us that you sacrificed men and worshipped demons. What were we supposed to think?" Dean replied, angrily.

"No, don't worry, we understand. The people of this town have never taken a liking to us for one reason or the other," Jetty assured them, a sad smile on her face.

"Why is that?" Sam asked, interestedly.

"It's quite a long story," Jetty told him.

"We have time," Dean replied, leaning forwards.

"Well, I think Sally and Gillian can explain better. We have to go and pick up my granddaughters from school anyway," she explained, standing up.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Francis said, glancing at her watch. "We'll be back soon," she called as they went through the door.

Dean and Sam turned to stare at Sally and Gillian who were seated across from them. "So?" Dean asked.

"Well, for over 200 years, we Owens women have been blamed for everything that's ever gone wrong in this town," Gillian began.

"Is that why they…." Dean began but didn't finish.

"Hate us so much?" Gillian ended his sentence and he shrugged.

"They don't hate us, we just… make them a little nervous," Sally said. Gillian snorted.

"Oh, let's face it, Sal, we've always created a stir," Gillian replied.

"I'll say," Dean muttered. Gillian frowned at him but Sally ignored them.

"It all began with our ancestor, Maria, the first witch in our family," she said. " She was put on trial and was set to be hanged," she continued.

"Because she was a witch?" Sam asked.

"The fact that she was a bit of a heartbreaker didn't help," Sally replied, glancing over at her sister with raised eyebrows. Gillian gave her a withering look.

"Well, it also didn't help that most of the guys she was with had wives on the hanging committee," Gillian added. Sam and Dean chuckled.

"No, I don't think it was either of those reasons," Sally said.

"I think they feared her because she had a gift, a power, that has been passed onto us," she continued, indicating herself and Gillian.

"The gift of magic," Gillian said quietly. There was a silence as Sam and Dean stared at them, riveted.

"What happened then?" Dean asked, leaning forward even more.

"Well, it was that very gift that saved her life," Sally said.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, they had the noose around her neck and they were about to open the door when she stepped off the dock. The crowd gasped, thinking that they would witness her breaking her neck," Sally replied.

"But, the rope broke and she landed on her feet," Gillian told them, smiling slightly.

"Of course, the townspeople were horrified. They banished her to this island," Sally continued.

"What they didn't know was that Maria was pregnant. She waited for her lover to rescue her but he never came," Sally said softly.

"No one came," Gillian added.

"In a moment of despair, she cast a spell on herself, that she would never again feel the agony of love. But, as her bitterness grew, the spell turned into a curse. A curse on any man who dared love on Owens woman," Sally said quietly.

There was another silence. "Is that why your father died?" Dean asked. Gillian nodded.

"Our mother knew. She heard the sound of the death-watch beetle ticking for our dad's death. She knew that when you hear the sound of the death-watch beetle, the man you love is doomed to die," she continued.

"I didn't believe," Sally told them.

"I thought that if I left this town and I left my past behind, the hunting, the magic, that it wouldn't affect me. That's why I went to college and then I met Michael," she paused and looked up.

"I never told him about any of it. But, one day, I heard it. The beetle ticking. And I knew. I tried to make it stop, tried to protect him but I couldn't," she said, looking down.

"He was in a car accident. That was 3 years ago. When he died, I left school and I came back here," she continued, gesturing around.

"Aunt Jetty's daughter, Stephanie, our cousin, died 2 years ago. The plane she was in with her husband crashed. They were both killed instantly. Kylie and Antonia came to live with us after that," Gillian explained.

"And that's basically it," Sally finished, looking up at the 2 men before her. They were staring at them, their mouths open. Sam was the first to recover.

"It's like a-a fairytale or something," he thought out-loud. Sally and Gillian smiled slightly.

"Wow," Dean said. "So can you, like, do tricks or anything?" he asked them eagerly.

Gillian frowned at him. "Are you kidding me? Tricks? Come on, Dean, we're not the guys who pull white rabbits out of hats," she exclaimed.

"Well, what can you do?" he demanded. Gillian stood up and walked towards the large dresser.

Pulling open one of the drawers, she took out a candle. Placing it on the table in front of Sally, she stood back. "Show them, Sal," she said.

"Why can't you do it?" Sally asked her, confusedly.

"Because you're better at it than I am," Gillian said impatiently. Sally sighed.

She leaned over and blew gently on the candle. Suddenly, the wick lit and the candle began to burn.

"Woah," Sam said as Dean stared, dumbfounded at the lighting candle. Gillian looked pleased.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Sorry about the delay, I've been away for a little while! Just want to say thanks to all those who've reviewed so far especially to SexySadie88!! Your loyal reviewing keeps me updating! My latest motivator is xDollfacex, this chapter is for her! Thanks Ciks! Oh and if you like Twilight or Harry Potter, go read her story... it's brill!! :-)**

xxxxxx

They all looked up as Francis and Jetty arrived home and walked into the room, closely followed by 2 little girls. "I see you've been showing off," Jetty said, indicating the candle.

The small brown haired girl stepped forward. "Who are you?" she asked Sam and Dean, suspiciously, looking from one to the other.

"This is Sam and Dean," Jetty told her. She seemed to consider them for a moment and suddenly broke out into a wide grin.

"Hi, I'm Antonia and this is my sister, Kylie," she proclaimed, pointing at the older red headed girl behind her.

"Hi," Sam replied, smiling at them.

Suddenly, Dean's phone beeped, receiving a message. He rooted around in his pockets before finally finding it and flipping it open. A look of disbelief crossed his face.

He looked up and handed the phone to Sam. His look was almost the same as Deans. "Everything okay?" Gillian asked, looking from one to the other.

Dean nodded in reply. "Could you just excuse us for a second?" he said. She nodded and gestured towards the kitchen. They both left the room.

Gillian frowned. "What was that all about?" she asked. Sally shrugged.

"It's none of our business," she said. Gillian nodded slowly.

"Anyway girls, we've got something for you," Francis said, stepping forward and handing Sally a page with a newspaper clipping printed out. Sally took it and began reading.

"Where?" Gillian asked. "Rockford, Illinois," Jetty replied.

"What does it say?" Gillian asked. "This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife and then puts the gun in his mouth and shoots himself. Earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum," Sally broke off.

"I'm not following," she said looking up at her aunts. "What has this got to do with us?" she asked.

Jetty handed her another newspaper clipping. It was from July 1972 and the heading read "Teenagers die in abandoned hospital fire."

"Seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths, till last week, at least," Francis told them.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sam and Dean were talking about the surprising text message. "I don't believe it," Sam said.

"Co-ordinates," Dean muttered.

"You think Dad was texting us?" Sam asked.

"He's given us co-ordinates before," Dean replied.

"The man can barely work a toaster, Dean," Sam exclaimed.

"Sam, this is good news. It means he's okay or alive at least," Dean replied.

"Well, was there a number on the caller ID?" Sam asked. Dean shook his head.

"No, it said unknown," he replied.

"Well, we gotta find out were the co-ordinates point to," Sam said. Dean nodded and they returned to the others.

"Look, we have to take off," Dean explained. Gillian nodded.

"So do we, actually," she said, brandishing the piece of paper in her hand.

Francis and Jetty stepped forward. "It was very nice to meet you both," Francis said.

"You too," Sam replied.

"Come back anytime," Jetty told them.

Dean nodded and smiled. "Thank you," he replied.

The aunts left the room closely followed by Kylie and Antonia who both waved at Sam and Dean.

"So where are you headed?" Sam asked.

"Rockford, Illinois," Sally replied, showing them the piece of paper. Sam scanned through it.

"What about you?" Gillian asked.

"Uh, we don't know yet. Our Dad texted me co-ordinates," Dean explained. Sam handed the paper back to Sally.

"You can use our computer if you want?" Sally offered, jabbing her thumb behind her at the computer in the corner.

"Oh, thanks," Sam said, nodding. He walked over and started the computer.

"So, uh, I'm glad we got things straightened out," Dean said, awkwardly.

"Yeah, me too," Sally said.

"So, now that you know about us, we'd prefer if you didn't, you know, broadcast it to other people, if you know what I mean?" Gillian asked.

Dean nodded. "Sure, I understand," he assured them.

"Huh," Sam said behind them.

"What is it?" Sally said, standing beside him.

"Looks like we're heading to Illinois too," he said, indicating the screen. The same article that Sally held in her hand was displayed on the screen.

"Oh, great," Gillian muttered, shooting a glance at Dean who frowned back at her. Sally and Sam rolled their eyes at each other.

Sam looked over at his brother. "This is a job. Dad wants us to work a job," he said to Dean.

"Yeah, maybe we'll meet up with him, maybe he's there," Dean suggested.

"Well, maybe he's not. He could be sending us there, to hunt this thing by ourselves," Sam pointed out.

"Who cares. I mean, if he wants us there it's good enough for me," Dean replied.

"This doesn't strike you as weird, the texting, the co-ordinates?" Sam asked him.

"Sam, Dad's telling us to go somewhere, we're going," Dean finished as he walked out the door. Sam sighed and followed him.

Gillian looked at Sally. "Awkward," she murmured.

"Stop it, Gilly," Sally replied as she walked by her. She followed Sam and Dean out the door and into the kitchen.

They were standing in silence, Dean looking at his phone. Sally smiled at Sam comfortingly as she passed him. He returned it.

Sally continued out the door, towards the end of the large staircase and began to walk up it. "We're heading off now," she called out.

The aunts appeared at the top of the stairs. "Okay then, you be careful," Francis said, hugging her.

"Give us a call if you need anything," Jetty told her, stepping forward to hug her too. Sally nodded.

"Bye," she said as she descended the stairs, followed by her aunts. Gillian, Sam and Dean stood at the bottom waiting for her.

"Goodbye, Sam, Dean," Jetty said as Francis waved at them.

"Be careful, Gilly-bean," Jetty told her niece.

"Don't worry, Jet, I can take care of any spirit we come across," Gillian assured her.

"I wasn't talking about spirits," Jetty replied, winking at Sally. Gillian frowned as Sally snorted.

"Oh, she's young, let her have a little fun, Jet," Francis exclaimed to her sister.

"Okay, we're leaving now," Gillian called quickly, turning for the door.

"You watch her, Sal, and make sure she behaves," Jetty warned her, a smile playing on her face.

Gillian slammed the door behind her as they all laughed, following her outside.

"So I guess we'll follow you," Sam said to Gillian. She nodded in reply, sitting into her car.

xxxxxx

After they had arrived checked into their motel, Gillian suggested they go and talk to Walter Kelly's partner. They agreed and later on they found themselves at "The Old Terminal Pub".

Walking inside, they looked around and Sally nodded towards a man sitting by himself. "That's him, Daniel Gunderson," she said. Dean was about to step forward and approach him when Gillian put out her hand.

"Let me handle this," she said, brushing by him. Dean opened his mouth to argue when Sally interrupted.

"Just watch," she told him, sighing slightly as she watched her sister. She turned towards the bar as Sam and Dean turned and looked as Gillian crossed the room. As she did so, a few heads turned in her direction. In fact, nearly every guy in the place watched as she slid into the seat across from Daniel.

They couldn't hear what she was saying but they could see as she leaned in close to Daniel and began to twirl her hair around her finger. Whatever she was saying, it was working and a grin began to spread across Daniel's face. Gillian laughed and nodded at him for about 10 minutes before standing up and walking back towards the others. Again, all eyes were following her.

She stopped in front of them, a triumphant smile on her face. "You were kinda playing it up a bit, weren't you?" Sally said, frowning slightly and gesturing towards the guys, still staring at Gillian open-mouthed.

"I had to sell it, didn't I? It's method acting," she replied, frowning back at her. Sally just shook her head and there was a brief silence.

"What did you find out from Gunderson?" Dean asked, breaking the tension. She turned to him.

"So, Walter Kelly was a good cop. Head of his class, even keeled. He had a bright future ahead of him."

"What about at home?" Sam asked.

"He and his wife had a few fights, just like everybody, but mostly it was smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids," Gillian replied.

"All right, well, either, Kelly had some deep-seated crazy waiting to bust out of him or else something else did it," Dean said.

"Right," Gillian said, nodding.

"What did Gunderson tell you about the asylum?" Sally asked.

"A lot," Gillian replied.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

The four of them scaled the chain-link fence surrounding the large red-bricked building and headed towards the door. Dean bent down and expertly picked the lock, swinging open the door when he was done. Stepping inside, they gazed around the gloomy interior. The place was a mess with beer bottles strewn everywhere and graffiti sprayed across every wall.

"So, apparently, the cops chased the kids here into the South Wing," Sam said, looking around, and pointing at a door. A large sign above it stated that it was indeed the South Wing.

"The South Wing, huh?" Dean asked. "Wait a second," he muttered, taking out his dads journal and rifling through the pages.

He stopped at the newspaper clipping about the asylum. "In 1972, 3 kids broke into the South Wing. Only one survived. The way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts, started lighting off the place," he said, looking up when he was finished.

"So, whatever's going on, it seems like the South Wing is the heart of it," Sally said.

"Yeah, but if kids are spelunking the asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" Gillian asked.

Sam stepped forward, indicating the rusty chain with a broken lock. "It looks like the doors are usually chained. Could've been chained up for years," he said.

"Yeah, to keep people out," Dean said.

"Or to keep something in," Gillian added. Sam slowly opened the door as they all stepped inside.

They all walked down the corridor, Dean holding out an EMF meter in front of him. "You getting any reading on that thing?" Sally asked.

"Nope. Course that doesn't mean nobody's home," he replied.

"Spirits can appear during certain hours of the day," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, the freaks come out at night," Gillian agreed.

"You like Whodini?" Dean asked, surprised. Gillian shook her head.

"I'm more of a classic rock kinda gal. AC/DC are the best," she replied.

"You like AC/DC?" Dean asked, his eyebrows going up.

"Are you kidding me! I love Highway to Hell," she exclaimed. Dean and Gillian launched into a debate about which AC/DC song was the best.

Sally and Sam walked on ahead. "They're so alike, it's scary," Sam said, glancing over his shoulder at them.

"I know. Too bad they drive each other crazy," Sally replied laughing,

They entered another room. Dean let out a low whistle. The place was full of metal tables and wheelchairs with straps to tie people down and other disturbing objects. They looked around, disgustedly. "Man, electroshock, lobotomies, they did some twisted stuff to these people," Dean said, standing and looking around.

"Kinda like my man Jack in Cuckoo's Nest," he said, chuckling slightly, and looking at the others. Sally and Sam ignored him while Gillian shook her head. Dean's smile faded.

"So what do you think? Ghosts are possessing people?" Gillian asked, turning to Sam and Sally.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's more like Amityville or the Smurl haunting," Sam replied.

"Yeah, spirits driving them insane. Kinda like my man Jack in the Shining," Dean said, smiling again. Again, Sally and Sam ignored him while Gillian frowned at him, turning and standing beside a table.

She reached down and picked up a plaque. "Sanford Ellicot," she read. "You know what we gotta do. We gotta find out more about the South Wing, see if something happened here," Dean said as he walked out the door, closely followed by the others.

xxxxxx

Later that day, after they had gone back to their motel rooms, Sam turned to Dean. "Dean, when are we gonna talk about it?" he asked.

"Talk about what?" Dean replied, confused.

"About the fact that dad's not here," Sam said.

"Oh, uh, let's see…never," Dean said, sarcastically.

"I'm being serious, man," Sam began before Dean cut in.

"So am I, Sam. He sent us here, he obviously wants us here, we'll just have to pick up the search later," he told him.

"It doesn't matter what he wants," Sam said.

"You see, that attitude, right there. That is why I always got the extra cookie," Dean pointed out.

"Dad could be in trouble. We should be looking for him. We deserve some answers Dean, I mean this is our family we're talking about," Sam exclaimed.

"I understand that Sam, but he's given us an order," Dean replied.

"So what, we gotta always follow dad's orders?" Sam asked.

"Of course we do," Dean answered, sharply.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sam opened it. "Hi," Gillian said. "We're going to talk to Sanford Ellicot's son in town," she told them.

"We'll come with you," Dean said, grabbing his coat.

xxxxxx

"Why do I always have to do the boring jobs?" Sally complained to her sister as they drove into town, Sam and Dean close behind.

"Come on, Sal. It's not the boring job. You have to act like you need to talk to a therapist, it's not that bad," Gillian replied.

"Yeah, but you always get to flirt with guys in bars and I always get stuck with the crap jobs, Gillian," Sally told her.

"Come on, Sally, that's not true. I don't know what you're talking about," Gillian said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You know what, just forget it," Sally muttered, shaking her head and staring out the window.

"No, Sally, if you have something to say just say it," Gillian said as she pulled into a parking space.

"It doesn't matter, Gillian, we're here now anyway," Sally said as she opened the door and hopped out.

xxxxxx

15 minutes later, she was sitting in the waiting room of James Ellicot's office, flicking through a magazine. A sign on the wall read "Dr. James Ellicot Clinical Psychiatrist."

Suddenly, a man appeared at the door. "Sally Owens?" he asked her. She looked up.

"That's me," she said.

"Come on in," he told her, gesturing her inside. She got up and followed him.

"Thanks again for seeing me last minute," she told him as she sat in a chair in front of his desk.

She noticed the picture of a man and a little boy. She presumed the little boy was James Ellicot and the man was his father. She also saw another plaque on the wall. "Presented to Dr. James Ellicot for 15 years of service to the Rockford Chamber of Commerce," it read. She paused.

"Dr. Ellicot? That name. Wasn't there a Dr. Sanford Ellicot? Yeah, he was Chief Psychiatrist somewhere," she said.

He nodded. "My father was Chief of Staff at the old Roosevelt Asylum. How did you know?" he asked.

"Uh, well, I'm sorta a local history buff. Hey, wasn't there an incident, or something, in the hospital, in the South Wing?" she continued.

"We're on your dollar, Sally. We're here to talk about you," he replied.

"Oh, okay, yeah, sure," she replied.

"So," the doctor said.

"So," Sally repeated.

"How's things?" he asked.

"Uh, thing are good, doctor," she replied.

"Good," he said, smiling. "What have you been doing?" he asked.

"Uh, same old, just been on a road-trip with my sister," she told him.

"Was that fun?" he questioned.

Sally paused and then nodded. "Loads. Um, you know, we met a lot of interesting people, did a lot of interesting things," she broke off.

"You know, what was it exactly that happened in the South Wing, I forget-," she was cut off by the doctor.

"Look, if you're a local history buff, then you know all about the Roosevelt Riot," he pointed out.

"The Riot? Well, no, I know, I was just curious-," she was again cut off by the doctor.

"Sally, let's cut the bull, shall we? You're avoiding the subject," he said, setting down his clipboard and leaning forward.

Sally stared at him in confusion. "What subject?" she asked him.

"You," he replied. There was a pause.

"Now, I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you all about the Roosevelt Riot if you tell me something honest about yourself. Like, uh, this sister you're road tripping with. How do you feel about her?" he asked. Sally sighed and sat back into her chair.

xxxxxx

Sally pushed open the door of the office and stepped outside. Gillian was leaning against the door but she stood up when Sally came out. "Sal, you were in there forever. What the hell where you talking about?" she asked, following behind. Sally arrived at the car, where Sam and Dean were leaning.

"Just the hospital, you know," Sally replied.

"And?" Gillian pressed.

"And the South Wing is where they housed the real hard cases, the psychotics, the criminally insane," she listed.

"Sounds cosy," Dean muttered.

"Yeah, and one night, in '64, they rioted. Attacked staff, attacked each other," she continued.

"So what, the patients took over the asylum?" Sam asked.

"Apparently," Sally replied.

"Any deaths?" he asked.

"Some patients, some staff. I guess it was pretty gory. Some of the bodies were never even recovered including our chief of staff, Ellicot," she explained.

"What do you mean never recovered?" Gillian asked.

"The cops scoured every inch of the place but I guess the patients must have stuffed the bodies somewhere hidden," she continued.

"That's grim," Dean said.

"Yeah, so they transferred all the surviving patients and shut down the hospital for good," Sally said.

"Alright, to sum it up we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of un-recovered bodies," Gillian stated.

"Which could mean a bunch of angry spirits," Sam said.

"Good times, let's check out the hospital tonight," Dean finished.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Later that night, they entered the abandoned asylum. They walked towards the door with the broken chain, that lead to the South Wing. Dean pushed it open and looked down the dark corridor.

"Ladies first," he told Gillian, standing back for her to go through.

"What a gentleman," she muttered sarcastically and she stepped around him, flipping on her flashlight.

Dean followed, chuckling slightly. He pulled the EMF meter out of his pocket and switched it on. Sam and Sally followed, Sally turning on a camcorder. They walked in silence down the corridor, the only sound the beeping of Dean's EMF meter.

"Getting readings?" Gillian asked.

"Yeah, big time," Dean replied.

"This place is orbing like crazy," Sally told them as she stared at the little flip screen on the camcorder.

Sam looked at it over her shoulder. "There's probably multiple spirits out and about and if these un-recovered bodies are causing the haunting…" Sam said.

"We gotta find them and burn them," Sally finished.

"Just be careful though. The only thing that makes me more nervous than a pissed off spirit is the pissed off spirit of a psycho killer," Dean warned.

They continued walking forward, when there was a sudden noise behind them and the rush of cold air. They all swung around to check but they saw nothing. They looked at one another warily before continuing on.

They came to a little room and Sally walked into it, swinging the camera around, and panning her flashlight forward. The others continued ahead. She walked around the room, videoing the walls and the age worn objects strewn around. She turned at the sound of a sudden noise, scanning the room quickly. Turning around, she cried out in surprise at the sight of the old woman before her. She was reaching out to Sally, one of her eyes missing.

"You guys," she shouted for the others, backing away from the spirit towards the wall behind her.

"GUYS!" she cried again. Sam ran in, closely followed by Gillian and Dean.

"Salt gun," Sally cried. Sam raised his gun at the spirit.

"Sally get down," he ordered. Sally ducked as Sam fired at the spirit. The ghost disappeared as the rock salt hit the wall above Sally's head.

They all looked around, searching for any sign of the ghost. "That was weird," Sally said, standing up and brushing herself down.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Gillian replied, as they exited the room.

"No, Gilly, I mean it was weird the way she didn't attack me," Sally explained.

"It looked pretty agro from where I was standing," Dean said.

"She didn't hurt me. She didn't even try. So if she didn't want to hurt me, then what did she want?" Sally asked.

Suddenly, they heard a noise from a door beside them. Looking into the room, they noticed an upturned bed.

Dean raised his shotgun as Gillian switched on her flashlight and they proceeded forward slowly. Reaching forward, Gillian yanked the bed out of the way. Someone was huddled on the floor behind it. The girl cried out in fright as she turned and faced them. Dean lowered the shotgun. "It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you," Sam assured her.

"It's okay. What's your name?" Sally asked, stepping forward.

"K-Katherine," the girl replied, standing up slowly. "Kat," she told them.

"Okay, I'm Dean. This is Gillian, Sam and Sally," Dean explained, pointing to each of them.

"What are you doing here?" Gillian questioned.

"Um, my boyfriend, Gavin," she began.

"Is he here?" Dean cut her off.

"Somewhere," she replied. They looked at one another.

"He thought it would be fun, try and see some ghosts. I thought it was all just, you know, pretend. I've seen things. I heard Gavin scream," she told them, pulling her coat tighter around herself.

"Alright, Kat, Sam and Sally are going get you out of her and me and Gillian will find your boyfriend," Dean said as he began to lead her from the room.

But she stopped and pulled herself from his grasp. "No, no, no. I'm not going to leave without Gavin. I'm coming with you," she exclaimed.

"It's no joke around here, okay, it's dangerous," Gillian told her.

"That's why I've gotta find him," she replied.

There was a brief pause. "Alright, I guess we've gotta split up then. Let's go," Dean said, gesturing forward.

xxxxxx

"Gavin! Gavin," Sam and Sally shouted as they made their way through the dark hallways.

"Oh, hey, before I forget, I want to thank you for earlier," Sally told him. He looked at her in confusion.

"For what?" he asked.

"For shooting that spirit," she clarified.

"Oh, right, no problem," Sam said smiling. "I'm sure you would have done the same," he said. She nodded and laughed as they continued forward.

xxxxxx

"Gavin!" Kat called as she followed Dean and Gillian down the corridor. Dean stopped and turned.

"Hey, I got a question for you. You seen a lot of horror movies, yeah?" he asked her. She looked at him, puzzled.

"I-I guess so," she replied.

"Do me a favour, next time you see one, pay attention. When someone says a place is haunted, don't go in," he told her, turning and continuing forward.

"I didn't want to," she explained, hurrying forward to catch up to Dean and Gillian. "It was Gavin's idea. He said it would be like we were actually in the movie," she said.

Gillian snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure that was what was really on his mind," she muttered.

"Gavin's not like that," Kat insisted. Gillian looked at her.

"I'm sure your boyfriend is a good guy but all men tend to generally think in the same way," she replied. Kat looked at her.

"You sound like your talking from experience," she said.

Gillian sighed. "I guess you could say that," she replied.

Up ahead, unbeknownst to them, Dean was listening in to their conversation. Kat frowned. "I find that hard to believe," the younger girl said.

It was Gillian's turn to frown. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, look at you, you're really pretty. You could have any guy you want," Kat told her. Gillian continued to look confused.

"Why would you bother going after the scumbags? Why not the good guy?" Kat asked her. Gillian stared at her for a while before beginning to walk.

"You know, that is a good question. I guess I have a type," Gillian answered.

xxxxxx

Sam and Sally went into another room and scanned it. "Sally," Sam said as he pointed the beam of light to the ground in front of them. It illuminated the still body of a young man. They both hurried forward.

"Gavin?" Sally said as she knelt down beside him.

"Hey, Gavin?" Sam said, shaking the guys arm.

His eyes flickered open, before he sat up swiftly, breathing heavily and staring at them in horror. "It's okay, we're here to help," Sally assured him.

"Who are you?" Gavin asked, staring at them.

"I'm Sam. This is Sally," Sam answered as he helped Gavin up.

"We found your girlfriend," he said.

"Kat? Is she alright?" Gavin asked them, urgently.

"She's worried about you. Are you okay?" Sally asked. Gavin frowned and brought his hand to his head. He flinched as he touched the large gash in his forehead.

"I was running. I think I fell," he explained.

"You were running from what?" Sam asked him.

"T-There was this-this girl," Gavin began. "Her-her face was-was all messed up," he told them.

"Okay, listen, this girl did she try to hurt you?" Sally asked. Gavin looked at her and shook his head.

"No, she, uh," he broke off, frowning.

"She what?" Sally pressed.

"She kissed me," he replied. Sally and Sam looked at one another in confusion.

"Um, but, she didn't hurt you, physically?" Sam questioned.

"Dude, she kissed me! I'm scarred for life!" he exclaimed.

"Trust me, I could've been worse. Now do you remember anything else?" Sally asked him.

"Uh, after she tried to whisper something in my ear," Gavin replied.

"What?" Sam said. Gavin shrugged.

"I don't know. I ran like hell," he replied.

xxxxxx

Dean, Gillian and Kat walked down another dark corridor, Dean taking the lead. Suddenly, his flashlight flickered and went out. He shook it. "You son of a bitch," he muttered in frustration.

He turned to Gillian. "I gave mine to Sally," she told him, shrugging slightly.

"It's alright, I've got a lighter," he said, pulling it out of his pocket and flicking it. Gillian turned to look behind her as Dean and Kat walked on.

"Ow, you're hurting my arm," she exclaimed. Dean turned to stare at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her confused. She looked at him and Kat in horror and then down at her arm. Dean brought the lighter flame lower so they could see.

Kat screamed as they saw the hand that had grabbed Gillian's arm. Gillian gasped and Dean ran forward but was too late. Gillian was pulled into an adjoining room and the heavy metal door slammed shut.

Dean looked down as Gillian's shotgun fell to the floor. He knew she had no defence. He began to pull on the door handle but it wouldn't budge. "Gillian," he shouted.

"Dean," Gillian shouted back, pounding on the door. "Get me out," she cried.

Dean pulled with all his might as Kat also tried to pry open the door. "Gillian, hang on," Dean shouted.

Gillian stopped pounding on the door and began to back away as Dean began to hammer at the hinges with a crowbar.

Suddenly, Gillian stopped and swung around. There was nothing behind her in the empty room. She was almost sure she had heard the sound of heavy breathing.

Now all she could hear was the metallic clunk as Dean pounded on the door and the sound of her own heart beating in her ears. She searched her pockets for something, anything, to defend herself against whatever was in here with her but she had dropped her gun and Sally was the one who carried all the ingredients for any spells.

Suddenly, she heard the sound again and froze.

Whatever it was, it was right behind her. She turned slowly and came face to face with the spirit of a horribly disfigured man. She screamed in fright and ran to the other side of the room away from him. She knew it was no use however and turning, she screamed again as she came face to face with it.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

Sally, Sam and Gavin were walking towards the exit when suddenly Sally stopped. "Gilly," she muttered, glancing at her left hand.

Sam frowned. "What?" he asked her.

"Something's wrong with Gillian," Sally cried as she began to sprint down the corridor. Sam and Gavin ran after her.

Turning a corner, they could see Dean and Kat trying to pry open a door.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as they reached the door.

"She's inside with one of them," Dean explained. Gavin ran to Kat and hugged her.

"Help me!" Gillian cried, backing up against the door. Sally leaned towards the door.

"Gilly, it's not going to hurt you," Sally cried. "Listen to me, you have to face it, calm down," Sally continued.

"She's gotta what?" Dean exclaimed, looking at them.

"I have to what?!" Gillian shouted, echoing Dean.

"These spirits are not trying to hurt us, they're trying to communicate. You gotta listen to it. You've gotta face it," Sam shouted.

"Sally, come on, work some spell or something," Gillian cried.

"No, Gilly, Sam is right, you have to face it," Sally shouted back.

"You face it!" Gillian screamed at them as she watched the thing get closer.

"It's the only way you're going to get out of there," Sally told her.

"Are you crazy?" Gillian cried.

"Look at it, that's all," Sally replied.

Inside, Gillian slowly looked the thing in it's eyes. She breathed deeply as the thing leaned it's head towards her, nearer and nearer.

Outside, there was a long silence as they all waited. Dean looked at Sam and Sally. "Gillian?" he called out.

There was no reply. "I hope you're right about this," he said, glancing at Sally and Sam again.

"Yeah, me too," Sam replied. Sally sighed worriedly and looked at the door.

Suddenly, they heard the latch unbolt and the door slowly swung open, revealing Gillian standing in the doorway.

Sally grabbed her as Sam and Dean walked in and sweeped the room. "137," Gillian said, looking at her sister.

"Sorry?" Dean said as he stepped out.

"It whispered in my ear, 137," she explained.

"Room number," Dean and Sam said in unison.

"Alright, so if these spirits aren't trying to hurt anyone then what are they trying to do?" Sally asked.

"Maybe that's what they've been trying to tell us," Sam suggested.

"I guess we'll find out," Gillian said.

"Alright, so, now are you guy ready to leave this place?" Dean asked Kat and Gavin.

"That's an understatement," Kat replied.

"Okay, Sally and Gillian, you get them out of here. Me and Sam are going to try find room 137," Dean said.

"No way. I want to see what's in this room 137 after all that," Gillian exclaimed, gesturing towards the door she had just come through. Dean sighed and opened his mouth to argue but Sam cut in.

"It's okay, I'll go with them," he said, stepping towards Sally, Gavin and Kat. Sally shot him a grateful look.

Dean shrugged. "Fine, let's go," he said as he headed down the corridor, followed by Gillian.

Sally and Sam headed in the opposite direction, followed by Kat and Gavin. "So, how do you guys know about all this ghost stuff?" Kat asked them.

"It's kind of our job," Sam replied. There was a pause.

"Why would anyone want a job like that?" Kat asked.

"I had a crappy guidance counsellor," Sam replied.

Sally chuckled slightly. "And Dean? He's your boss?" Kat asked.

Sam frowned. "No," he said.

Kat turned to Sally. "What about you?" she asked.

"Um, well, Gillian's my sister and we kinda grew up with this," Sally said vaguely.

"Why did she ask you to do a spell?" Kat continued.

Sally paused and then shrugged. "She uses code words and stuff, you know, she didn't actually mean a spell," Sally replied, laughing nervously. Sam glanced at her.

"Oh, okay. I guess that would be pretty weird. I mean, okay, now I believe in ghosts but witches? I don't think they're real. That would just be crazy," Kat told her. Sally nodded lightly.

"Really crazy," Sally agreed. Sam coughed to cover up his laughter.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile, Dean and Gillian were busy searching for room 137. "Hey, Dean," Gillian called when she stopped in front of a door. Dean stood beside her. There was faded writing on it reading 137. They looked at one another and Dean slowly opened the door. He pushed hard, shoving away some chairs that were piled up against it and stepped inside.

The room was a mess, with broken bits of furniture strewn everywhere and hundreds of pages littering the floor. "What are we supposed to be looking for?" Gillian asked.

Dean shrugged and walked towards a filing cabinet. Gillian stepped forward and picked up a plaque from the floor.

"Sanford Ellicot," she read, holding the sign up for Dean to read.

"This must have been his office," Dean said.

xxxxxx

Sam hurried towards the double doors, frowning when he saw that they were shut. They had left them open when they entered. He reached down and twisted the handles, trying to open them. Stepping back he turned to the others. "Okay, I think we have a small problem," he muttered.

"Let's break it down," Gavin suggested.

"I don't think that's going to work," Sally told him.

"Then a window," he said.

"They're barred," Kat pointed out.

"Well, how are we supposed to get out?" Gavin cried. Suddenly, recognition dawned on Sam's face.

"That's the point, we're not. There's something in here that doesn't want us to leave," he said.

"Those patients?" Kat asked.

Sally shook her head. "No, something else," she replied. She glanced at Sam in concern.

"Okay, I'm going to look around and see can I find another way out. You guys stay here," he said. Sally nodded.

"Be careful," she said a he turned the corner.

xxxxxx

Walking down the corridor, Sam tried a couple of doors. Looking into one room, he noticed a door at the other side and walked forward to try it. He glanced down in surprise as his flashlight began to flicker before finally going out. He tapped at it and tried the button, frowning slightly. Suddenly, he stopped and turned when he heard a noise behind him.

Lifting up his gun, he scanned the room. "Sally?" he called out, thinking that she had followed him, looking around swiftly. He glanced over at a screen when he saw a shadow moving in the corner of his eye. Pointing the gun forwards, he slowly began to make his way towards the curtain. He reached out and pulled it aside quickly.

He frowned when he realised there was nothing there. Dropping the gun to his side, he turned around. He cried out in surprise as the spirit of an old man, dressed like a doctor, reached out and grabbed his face. "Don't be afraid. I'm going to make you all better," it said, as beams of light shot out of its fingers and into Sam's head.

xxxxxx

Dean walked towards a wastepaper basket and looked through the papers inside. Throwing them to the ground, he glanced at the panelled wall beside him. He noticed a hole in the wood. Grabbing at it, he realised the whole panel came off and he pulled at it until it came loose, revealing a large satchel stuck into the hole. Gillian walked over and stood beside him.

"What is it?" she asked, as he pulled the bag out.

"I dunno," he said, getting up and laying it on the table.

"But this is why I get paid the big bucks," he said, as he opened it up. She rolled her eyes at him. He ignored her and pulled out a folder. "Patient's Journal," was handwritten across the first page.

Dean began to flick through the pages. They both stared in disgust at the procedures that were written inside along with the gruesome pictures that detailed how to perform them on the patients. "All work and no play make Dr. Ellicot a _very _dull boy," Gillian commented.

Dean glanced at her and smiled shaking his head slightly. "What?" she asked.

"I thought you didn't like the Shining?" he asked her.

"Are you kidding me? Jack Nicholson, phew," she said, shivering. "Boy can he act," she continued. "You just ruined it earlier," she told him, standing up from the chair she had been sitting in.

He frowned at her and stood up too, looking down on her. "You know, sometimes, you can be such a bitch," he said, angrily.

"Only sometimes?" she replied, laughing at the infuriated expression on his face. He was about to reply when they both looked up at the sound of something in the corridor.

xxxxxx

Sally was growing worried when Sam wasn't back in 10 minutes. "What the hell are we going to do?" Gavin cried, fearfully.

"Well, for starters, we're not going to panic," Sally said in a soothing voice.

"Why the hell not?" Gavin continued. Sally was about to reply when her phone rang.

"Hey," she answered.

"Sally, it's me," Gillian's voice said. "I see it. It's coming at me," she told her.

"Where are you?" Sally asked, worriedly.

"I'm in the basement. Hurry up!" she cried.

"I'm on my way," Sally said, hanging up and turning to face Kat and Gavin. "Alright, can either of you handle a shotgun?" she asked.

"What? No!" Gavin cried.

"I can," Kat said, stepping forward. Gavin looked at her in surprise. "My dad took me shooting a couple of times," she shrugged in explanation.

"Alright, here," Sally said, handing her the gun. "It's loaded with rock salt. Now, it might not kill a spirit but it'll repel it so if you see something, shoot," Sally explained.

"Okay," Kat replied, nodding her head. Sally nodded and turned the corner.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**So, this chapter is a bit longer than usual but I couldn't really shorten it. Enjoy!!**

Sally hurried to the basement, checking doors as she went, her own shotgun held out in front of her. "Gillian?" she called out.

She glanced down as her flashlight flickered. Looking around, she frantically scanned the room for any sign of a spirit. Her light went out totally and she sighed.

Suddenly, she heard something behind her and swung around, her gun raised. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Sam. "Oh my God, you frightened me," she smiled.

He continued to stare at her. "Have you seen Gillian? She called me and said that something was coming after her and now-," she broke off when Sam shook his head.

He took a step forward and stood directly in front of her. "Sam what are you doing?" she asked him, stepping backwards, but the wall was behind her.

"I want to show you something," he said in a low voice.

"What?" she asked him, confused. Suddenly, his nose began to bleed. He hurriedly wiped it away.

"Sam, what's wrong with you?" Sally asked him, glancing around.

"I've never felt better," he replied, leaning in close.

"But now, I want you to meet somebody," he continued. He grabbed her arm as a hidden door in the wall behind her swung open. She turned and stared in horror as the spirit walked towards her. She tried to run but Sam had her held tight.

"Sam? Sam, what are you doing?" she cried in fear as she struggled against him.

"Ssshhh," he said soothingly into her ear. "It's okay," he told her.

Sally watched as the spirit reached out towards her and she struggled harder. "He's going to make you all better, Sally," Sam whispered, stroking her cheek lightly.

Then the spirit grabbed her and she stopped struggling, going limp in Sam's arms.

xxxxxx

Gillian and Dean hurried up the corridor and Dean turned the corner. He caught sight of Kat with the shotgun raised and ducked, pulling Gillian with him as the bullet hit the wall beside them. "Dammit, dammit, don't shoot. It's us," Dean shouted.

"Sorry, sorry," Kat replied apologetically.

"You can get off me now, Dean," Gillian said sarcastically as she stared up at him from her position on the floor.

"Oh, right, sorry," he said sheepishly standing up. He helped her up and turned around the corner to face Kat and Gavin, glancing at the large chunk taken out of the wall.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked them.

"Where's Sally and Sam?" Gillian asked as she walked towards them.

"Sam went to find a way out but he's been gone ages," Kat replied.

"What about Sally?" Gillian asked.

"She went to the basement. You called her," Gavin replied.

She frowned and shook her head. "I didn't call her," she said.

"Her cell phone rang. She said it was you," Kat explained. Gillian turned to look at Dean.

"The basement, huh?" Dean asked.

"Alright, watch yourselves," Dean said as he turned to walk down the hall.

"And watch out for us," Gillian added as she followed him.

xxxxxx

"Sammy? Sam, are you down here?" Dean shouted. They were in the basement, searching the rooms.

"Sally, where are you?" Gillian called out. She glanced down at her right hand and winced.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked her.

"Something's wrong with Sal," Gillian said, her face creasing in worry. Dean looked at her hand and noticed a faint white scar across her palm.

"SALLY!" Gillian shouted again. She continued down the corridor, with Dean following. They both jumped when they almost ran into Sam and Sally, standing in the middle of the hall.

"Man, answer me when I'm calling you. Are you alright?" Dean asked his brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied, looking confused.

"Sal?" Gillian said, looking at her warily.

"What's wrong?" Sally asked her.

"You know it wasn't me that called your cell, right?" Gillian asked her.

"Yeah, I know, I think something lured me down here," she replied.

"Yeah, we think we know who. Dr. Ellicot," Dean replied. Sam and Sally looked surprised.

"Yeah, that's what the spirit's have been trying to tell us. You haven't seen him, have you?" Gillian asked them. Sam shook his head.

"No, how do you know it was him?" he asked.

"We found his log book. Apparently, he was experimenting on his patients, some awful stuff. Makes lobotomies look like a couple of aspirin," Dean explained.

"But it was the patients who rioted," Sally pointed out.

"Yeah, they were rioting against Dr. Ellicot," Gillian told them. Sam and Sally continued to look blank.

"Dr. Feelgood was working on some sort of like, extreme rage therapy. He thought that if he could get his patients to vent their anger, then they'd be cured of it. Instead, it only made them worse and worse and angrier and angrier. So I'm thinking, what if his spirit is doing the same thing, to the cop, to the kids in the 70's, making them so angry they become homicidal," Dean explained.

Sam nodded slightly. "Come on, we gotta find his bones and torch them," Gillian said as she passed them.

"How? The police never found his body," Sally said.

"Well, the log book said he had some sort of hidden procedure room down here somewhere, where he would work on his patients so if I was a patient I'd drag his ass down here and do a little work on him myself," Gillian said as she looked through a door.

"I dunno, it sounds kinda…" Sam broke off.

"Crazy?" Dean offered.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, exactly," Dean said as he followed Gillian into the room. Sam and Sally looked at one another.

Gillian turned to Dean. "Something is wrong, Dean, I can feel it," she whispered so the others wouldn't hear.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, confused. She looked up, however, when Sam and Sally walked in.

"I told you, we looked everywhere, we didn't find a hidden room," Sam insisted.

"Well, that's why they call it hidden," Dean replied as he looked around. Gillian stared warily at her sister.

"Do you hear that?" Dean paused looking up.

"What?" Sally asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Gillian listened and nodded.

"A draught," she muttered. Dean bent down and put his hand against the wall. Sam and Sally looked at each other again.

"There's a door here," Dean said.

Suddenly, Sam lifted his gun and pointed it at his brother. Gillian frowned and opened her mouth but Sally stood in front of her. "Dean," Sam said quietly. Dean looked up and frowned when he saw the gun.

Suddenly, Sam's nose began to bleed again and he wiped it. Gillian looked at Sally. The same thing happened her. "Step back from the door," Sam ordered Dean.

Dean stood up slowly. "Sam, put the gun down," Dean said.

"Is that an order?" Sam asked.

"No, it's more of a friendly request," Dean replied.

"Cause I'm getting pretty tired off taking your orders," Sam said as he raised the gun higher.

"I knew it. Ellicot did something to you, didn't he?" Dean said.

"For once in your life, just shut your mouth," Sam said acidly.

"What are you going to do Sam? The guns filled with rock salt. It's not going to kill me," Dean pointed out. Sam pulled the trigger and Dean was thrown backwards, slamming through the wall into Ellicot's secret room. Gillian cried out as Dean lay groaning on the ground.

"No, but it will hurt like hell," Sam said sarcastically.

Gillian took a step towards Dean but Sally held her back. "Where do you think you're going?" Sally asked her sister, frowning.

"Sally, come on, snap out of it," Gillian pleaded with her, trying to edge her way around.

"Are you going to leave again? Huh, Gilly?" Sally said, watching her sister back away.

"What are you talking about Sally?" Gillian said, as she stared at her confused.

"The same way you left before?" Sally continued as she stepped forwards.

"You left me, Gillian. You left me in that town, on my own, to clean up all your messes," Sally snarled.

"Sal, I don't know what you're talking about," Gillian said.

"When you were 18. You ran off with that guy and you left me and the aunts," Sally shouted.

"What guy?" Gillian cried out. She had back up against the wall beside Dean.

"That's so typical of you. You can't remember his name and you were going to marry him. But I guess that you lose track of them all, huh, Gilly-bean? All the guys you've been with?" Sally sneered.

"Sally, stop it, I don't want to hurt you," Gillian pleaded. Sally ignored her continuing to approach.

"Because, you know what, Gilly-bean, everything the people in school said about you is true," Sally said, a small smile on her face.

"You really are a grade A slut," she said and with that, she punched Gillian across the face. Gillian hit the floor beside Dean. He looked over and was horrified to see she had been knocked out.

He looked up as Sam stood over him. "Sam, we gotta burn Ellicot's bones and all this will be over and you'll be back to normal," he groaned, clutching at his chest.

"I am normal. I'm just telling the truth for the first time. I mean, why are we even here. Because you're following Dad's orders like a good little soldier?" Sam asked sarcastically. "Because you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval?" Sam shouted.

"This isn't you talking Sam," Dean muttered.

"That's the difference between you and me. I have a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic, like you," Sam growled.

"So what are you going to do? Huh? Are you going to kill me?" Dean asked him.

"You know what? I am sick of doing what you tell me to. We're no closer to finding Dad today than we were six months ago," Sam shouted.

"Well than, here," Dean said, reaching into his coat. Sam raised the shotgun and watched as Dean pulled out a handgun.

"Let me make it easier for you," Dean said, holding the silver gun out to him. Sam stared at him in confusion.

"Go on, take it. Real bullets are going to work a hell of a lot better than rock salt," he said. Sam hesitated.

"Take it," Dean cried. Sam reached down and grabbed the gun.

Suddenly, Gillian stirred and opened her eyes. Sally took a step forward when she saw this and grabbed her sister, hoisting her up. "Sally," Gillian murmured, pleadingly.

"Oh just shut up," Sally said as she pushed her up against the wall. "Why does it always have to be about you? Everybody drops everything because Gilly-bean says so! You were gone for 3 years. You didn't call, you didn't visit," Sally shouted.

"I wrote to you," Gillian said.

"Oh, a few postcards every couple of weeks, is that it? I'm your sister, Gillian!" Sally cried, as she slammed Gillian's head against the wall. Gillian cried out in pain.

"But then you came crawling back, Gilly. When you had your big problem, you had nowhere else to go, no-one else cared," Sally said angrily.

Gillian whimpered. "Please, Sally, no," she begged.

"What? I can't tell your big secret?" Sally sneered, gesturing at Sam and Dean. Sam had paused and was staring at the confrontation.

"I can't tell how you were-?" but Sally broke off when Gillian hit her hard across the face. She staggered backwards, falling to the ground.

They were both distracted by the sound of Sam dropping his shotgun to the floor. He pointed the silver gun in Dean's face. "Do you hate me that much?" Dean asked him as he stared down the barrel of the gun.

"Do you think you can kill your own brother?" Dean continued. Sam's hand shook as he stared down.

"Well, then go ahead, pull the trigger," Dean said.

Sam's hand shook even harder. "Do it," Dean hissed.

Sam pulled the trigger as Gillian cried out in shock.

Nothing happened.

Sam stared down in confusion. He pulled the trigger again but there was only a click.

Suddenly, Dean reached up and punched Sam across the face. He went sprawling across the ground. Dean stood up slowly. "Man, I'm not going to give you a loaded pistol," Dean said as he walked towards Sam. Then, he reached down and punched his brother out.

"Sorry, Sammy," he muttered, bending over him. Sally cried out in frustration as she stood up. She picked up a stick and stood over Dean, about to bring it down over his head.

Then, Gillian kicked her feet out from under her and sent her flat on her back. Sally stared up as Gillian stood over her. "I'm sorry too, Sal," Gillian said, before she too punched out her sister. Dean stood up and looked at her, wincing slightly.

"We gotta find those bones before they wake up," he said. She nodded in reply, staring down at Sally.

"Gillian," Dean said. She looked up and Dean was shocked to see that she had tears in her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. You had to do it," Dean assured her, placing a hand on her arm.

"It's not that. I never knew she felt like that, about me like that," she said, slowly shaking her head.

"That wasn't Sally talking, Gillian. Ellicot did something to her and now we've got to kill that son of a bitch," he said. She looked up and nodded.

"Okay," she whispered.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

They began to search the room, pushing aside curtains as they went. Gillian turned around as she felt something behind her but there was nothing there. She shivered slightly and looked up when Dean called her. "Hey, I think I found it," he said. He was kneeling in front of a large, white cabinet. There was a tuft of hair poking out from the crack around the door.

He looked back at her and she nodded, lifting her shotgun just in case. Dean wrenched open the cabinet. "Oh," he cried, recoiling as the smell hit him. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the smell wafted towards her. She stared at the corpse. It was almost mummified.

"Oh, that's just gross," Dean muttered. Gillian reached down and picked up the salt from the bag on the floor, handing it to Dean.

He began to sprinkle it over the body. "Soak it up," he said as he did so.

Gillian looked down at the flashlight that Dean had laid on the ground beside him. It was flickering on and off. "Dean," she said in a warning voice. He looked up at her and then followed her gaze down to the light.

Suddenly, one of the trolleys dotted around the room hurtled towards Dean, knocking him across the room. Gillian reached down and grabbed the can of petrol and quickly dumped it over the body. She turned to reach down for the lighter but was horrified to find herself face to face with Ellicot. He grabbed her face and forced her to the ground as the light began to come from his fingers.

"Don't be afraid. I'm going to help you. I'm going to make you all better," he said, smiling at her. She tried to struggle against the spirit but it held her fast. She cried out in pain as she sank to the ground.

Suddenly, Ellicot stopped and stared up in horror. Dean was standing over the body, with the lighter in his hand. He threw it down and it ignited. Gillian stared up as the spirit's hand began to crumble away. Dean ran over and pulled her out of the way as the rest of the doctors body turned to ash.

She panted, rubbing her head. "Are you okay?" Dean asked her.

"The spirit of a crazy, psycho doctor just tried to brainwash me, of course I'm not," she replied sarcastically.

"Well, you're welcome Gillian. You don't have to thank me for saving your ass," Dean said angrily as he stood up.

Gillian's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Dean. Thank you, really," she said, standing up and brushing herself down.

Dean nodded.

Suddenly, Sam sat up. Dean looked at him. "You're not going to try and kill me, are you?" he asked.

Sam stared at him, holding his jaw. "No," he replied.

"Good, because that would be awkward," Dean said.

Gillian walked towards Sally. "Sal?" she said, nudging her sister. Sally's eyes flickered open.

"Are you, you?" Gillian asked her. Sally nodded slowly and Gillian helped her up.

xxxxxx

"Thanks guys," Kat said to them. They were all standing outside, blinking in the early morning sunlight.

"Yeah, thanks," Gavin said.

"No more haunted asylums, okay?" Dean said to them. They nodded and walked away, Gavin putting his arm around Kat.

"Are you guys heading back to the motel?" Gillian asked.

"Yeah, I need to sleep," Dean replied, nodding.

"Do you want to get breakfast first?" he asked. Gillian and Sally both nodded and walked towards their car.

Sam turned to his brother "Hey, Dean," Sam said.

Dean turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, man, I said some awful things back there," he apologised.

"You remember all that?" Dean asked. Sam nodded.

"Yeah. It's like I couldn't control it but I didn't mean it, any of it," he told him.

"You didn't, huh?" Dean asked.

"No, of course not," Sam replied. Dean looked unconvinced.

"Do we need to talk about this?" Sam asked him.

"No, I'm not really in the sharing, caring kinda mood," Dean said. He pulled open the car door.

"I just want to get something to eat and go to sleep," he said as he sat in.

xxxxxx

Sally and Gillian drove in silence for a little while. "Gillian," Sally began.

But she stopped when Gillian held up her hand. "Sal, you don't have to explain about what happened back there. You were right," she said quietly.

Sally shook her head. "No, Gillian, I wasn't. Those things I said, I didn't mean them," she insisted.

Gillian looked at her sister. "Yeah, you did, Sal," Gillian answered.

"I know I made a lot of mistakes. I shouldn't have run away with Josh, yeah that's his name," Gillian added. "I know I left you when you probably needed me most. You were 15 years old and I know you depended on me. And I know I should have called you and I know it was wrong of me to just come back when I needed your help. I'm really sorry for everything, Sal," Gillian said, her voice wavering with emotion.

Sally looked at her sister. "I'm sorry too, Gilly," she said.

"For what?" Gillian asked her confused.

"I almost told them. If you hadn't-," Sally began but Gillian shook her head.

"I don't blame you for that, Sally. Nothing about that is your fault," she assured her. They had reached the diner where they had agreed to meet up with Sam and Dean, pulling up behind the black Impala. Gillian turned off the engine.

"Sally, you're my sister and I love you," Gillian said. "But, you're also my best friend. You always were and you always will be," she continued.

"Remember this?" she asked as she picked up Sally's left hand and looked at the thin white scar that ran across her palm. She then looked at the identical scar on her own right hand.

Sally nodded. "Of course I remember," she said, thinking about the night Gillian had first left.

xxxxxx

_8 years before_

It was the middle of the night and Sally stood in her bedroom and watched as Gillian ran in, a large sack slung over her shoulder. "Sally, get the door, get the door," Gillian laughed as she crossed the room. Sally quickly opened the doors that led out onto the balcony and followed Gillian outside. Her sister was standing at the railings, looking down at the young man below.

Hoisting the sack above her head, Gillian flung it down to the man who caught it. "Wow," Sally muttered.

Gillian turned to her sister. "Sal, you have no idea," she said, a smile breaking out across her face.

"Do you really love him? I mean, enough to marry him?" Sally asked her seriously. Gillian's smile faded.

"Oh, come on, Sal, what's enough? I hate it here," Gillian told her as she stepped over the railings onto the roof. "I want to go where no-ones even heard of us," she explained.

Sally bit her lip. "I feel like I'm never going to see you again," she admitted.

Gillian laughed. "Of course you're going to see me again. We're going to grow old together. It's going to be you and me, living in a big house, these two old biddies with all these cats," she assured her.

Sally laughed. "I mean, I bet we even die on the same day," Gillian added.

"You swear?" Sally said, her smile fading. Gillian paused and looked at her sister. Then, she turned and called down to her boyfriend. "Honey, I need your pocket-knife," she said.

He pulled it out of his pocket and she nodded. He threw it up to her and she deftly caught it. "Here," she said, turning back to Sally.

She lifted up her right hand and cut across her palm. "My blood," she said.

Then she grabbed Sally's left hand and did the same thing. Sally winced slightly. "Your blood," Gillian said.

Then, she pressed their hands together. "Our blood," they whispered together. Sally hugged her sister tightly.

"I love you, Gilly-bean," she said into her hair.

"Yeah, I love you too," Gillian replied.

They broke apart and Sally watched as her sister slid down the trellis. She hopped onto her boyfriends back and he piggy-backed her out the garden gate. Gillian turned and waved before she disappeared around the corner.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Thanks to the lonly shepherd,** **Raelliin Cullen Potter deSilva, Lydia and of course xDollfacex for all your kind reviews!! Please keep reviewing.... it makes my day!!! :-)**

Dean and Sam sat in silence across from one another in the booth as they waited for Sally and Gillian to arrive. "I wonder what Sally was talking about before," Dean said, thoughtfully.

Sam looked at him, confused. "You know, when you guys were," Dean made twirling motions with his finger against his temple. Sam rolled his eyes at the action and then shrugged.

"I don't know but Gillian sure didn't want her talking about it," Sam commented. Dean nodded and then looked up as Sally and Gillian walked in.

They spotted Sam and Dean seated in the booth and began to make their way through the diner. "Hey," Sally said as they slid into the booth.

"Hi," Sam replied.

"Good, you're here. I'm starving," Dean said, grabbing the menu propped in front of him.

They all repeated the gesture and placed their orders when the waitress came around, Dean checking out her derriere as she walked away. "Could you be any less conspicuous?" Gillian asked him, shaking her head slightly as she followed the direction of his gaze.

"What?" Dean said, spinning around and raising his hands. "I wasn't doing anything," he cried.

Gillian just raised her eyebrows. "Sure," she muttered, sipping from her drink.

Dean watched as she set the glass on the table and ran her finger around the rim. He noticed the faint scar on her hand. "How did you get that scar?" he asked her, pointing at it.

Gillian glanced down at her hand, tracing the line across her palm and then looked at Sally. "I did it to myself," she replied.

"And to me," Sally said, as she extended her left hand so they could see the identical scar.

Sam frowned. "You looked at your hand and then you said there was something wrong with Gillian," he said, looking up. Sally nodded.

"Yeah, you winced when we were down in the basement and Ellicot got Sally. You looked at that scar," Dean agreed. Gillian smiled slightly.

"When I ran away from home, I cut my hand and Sally's hand and we made pact that we would always, you know, be there for each other when either of us was in trouble," Gillian said.

"Whenever one of us feels a strong emotion, it's like the other knows," Sally explained.

"Like Sally felt anger. That's a painful feeling and that's why I winced," Gillian continued.

"And Gilly was afraid so I felt her fear when she was pulled into that room," Sally added.

"Wow, it's like some sort of psychic connection," Dean said.

"Yeah, I guess," Gillian replied, shrugging her shoulders as she watched the waitress arrive with their food. "Let's dig in," she said, as tucked into her own breakfast.

xxxxxx

After they finished eating, they all pooled their money and Dean headed up to pay for their breakfast. "I gotta use the little girl's room," Gillian said, as she stood up and made her way towards the bathrooms.

"So, where are you headed now?" Sally asked Sam. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Where ever we find another hunt I guess," he replied. There was a silence.

"Sam, are you okay?" Sally asked him, concern in her voice as she leaned forward.

Sam looked down. "Sally, I'm sorry," he said, softly.

"Sorry for what?" she replied, confused.

"For what I did to you," he replied, still staring at the table.

"Sam, I don't know what you're talking about," she said, bewildered.

"I brought you to Ellicot. I made him turn you like that," he explained, running his hand through his hair and shaking his head.

Sally reached out and took his hand and he looked into her eyes. "Sam, that wasn't your fault. You weren't _you_. I don't blame you," she assured him, squeezing his hand slightly as she smiled.

"Really?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Of course not," she replied, shaking her head. Sam smiled back at her.

"Thanks, Sal," he said.

"Okay, let's-," Dean said, as he reached the table.

He broke off, however, when he saw Sally holding Sam's hand. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Dean asked, a smile playing around his eyes.

Sally pulled her hand back as Sam stood up. "No, no," Sam said awkwardly to his brother.

"You weren't interrupting anything. We were just-," Sally began but suddenly Gillian appeared.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from the smile on Dean's face as he stared at his brother to a red-faced Sam and a blushing Sally.

"Nothing," Sally said hurriedly as she too stood up. "We were just leaving," she explained.

"Yeah," Sam nodded in agreement. Gillian narrowed her eyes.

"Sure," she said sarcastically. "Anyway, I'm too tired to argue with you," she said as she stifled her yawn. "Let's go," she said, turning and walking towards the door. Dean followed her, smirking at Sam and Sally as he turned.

"I'm sorry, Sally, Dean's just-," Sam began as he turned towards her but he stopped when she lifted her hand.

"Sam, I've lived with Gillian my whole life. Don't worry, I've had my fair share of an annoying older sibling," she told him, smiling widely.

Sam laughed and nodded. "Okay then," he said as they made their way towards the exit.

xxxxxx

Sally woke up with a start at the loud knocking on the door. She glanced over at Gillian in the bed across the room. She stirred and turned over but didn't wake up. Sally glanced at her watch. It was 7 o'clock in the evening. After breakfast, Dean and Sam had gone to their room and Sally and Gillian to their's where they had slept until now. Sally rubbed her eyes and got out of the bed.

There was another knock at the door and Sally padded across the room, grabbing a hoodie and pulling it over her head as she did so. Standing on her tiptoes, she peered through the key hole and was surprised to Sam standing there. She stood back and unlatched the door, opening it wide.

"Sam? What's wrong?" she asked, sleepily.

"Sorry for waking you, but I just wanted to tell you that me and Dean are heading off. Our dad called," he explained.

"You dad? Is he okay?" Sally said, concernedly. Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. He didn't say much. He wants us to head for Indiana. He thinks there's a hunt there and he wants us to check it out," Sam continued.

Sally nodded. "Okay, then, well call us if you need anything," she offered. Sam smiled.

"Thanks Sally," he said, backing away.

"Bye Sam. Tell Dean I said goodbye too," she called after him.

"Sure, bye," he answered, waving as he jogged back towards their room. Sally stepped back inside and shut the door quietly. She looked over at Gillian who was still fast asleep.

Sally was awak now so she decided to get a shower. When she was done, she walked back into the room, towelling her wet hair to find that Gillian was up and dressed. "Did someone knock on the door earlier or did I dream that?" Gillian asked, scratching her head.

"You didn't dream it. It was Sam," Sally replied as she dropped the towel.

"Sam? What did he want?" Gillian frowned. "Or was it something private?" she added, giggling.

"Haha, very funny," Sally said sarcastically.

"Well, you answered the door in your pyjamas. They're fairly short shorts, don't you think?" Gillian replied, laughing harder. Sally glanced down at the her pyjamas in her hand and blushed. She hadn't even realised that she had been wearing those shorts when she answered the door.

"Shut up, Gillian," Sally muttered, throwing the offending items into her duffel bag.

"Anyway, what did he want?" Gillian asked.

"Oh, their dad called and wanted them to go to Indiana on a hunt or something," she replied.

"Their dad? Wow, they must have been happy to hear from him after looking for him all this time," Gillian commented. Sally shrugged.

"I don't know, Sam seemed kinda distracted or something," she replied.

"Well, if you answered the door like that, I wouldn't be surprised," Gillian laughed. Sally shook her head.

"Stop it, Gilly, that's not what I mean. Get your mind out of the gutter. He seemed kinda pissed off about something," Sally told her.

Gillian shrugged. "Maybe he had a fight with Dean or something," Gillian suggested. Sally nodded, thoughtfully.

"Well, I guess now that we're done here we should head on back home, don't you think?" Gillian asked.

Sally nodded. "Yeah, except I wanted to stop off in Philly to see Isabella, okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure, good idea," Gillian asked.

She thought of their friend Isabella. She had been their cousin Stephanie's best friend when the girls were younger and ever since Stephanie had died, Sally and Gillian had called in to see her whenever they were near. She knew about Sally and Gillian being witches and about the curse but she herself wasn't a hunter.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed... hardcorexfaith, xDollfacex, wallytops (!!) and Haze-Ox! :-)**

A few hours later, they arrived in Philadelphia and headed towards Isabella's house. Driving through the tree lined streets, Sally sighed. "What's wrong?" Gillian said, glancing over at her sister.

Sally gestured out the windows to the large houses on either side of them. "Don't you ever wish that we were, I don't know, like normal people?" Sally asked.

"Normal people? That would be boring," Gillian replied, shaking her head slightly.

"I wonder sometimes. You know, getting married, having a family, a mortgage," Sally trailed off.

"You want a mortgage?" Gillian asked her incredulously.

"You know what I mean, Gilly," Sally replied. Gillian nodded.

"I guess sometimes I do think about it but, I like what we do too much. Hunting is our lives. I mean, I wouldn't know what to do without it," Gillian replied.

Sally nodded. "Yeah, I know, just wishful thinking. That's Isabella's house," Sally said, pointing at the large, white house.

Gillian indicated and turned into the driveway. They stepped out of the car and made their way up the porch steps and to the front door. Gillian raised her hand and knocked. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal a petite woman with long blonde hair. Her expression turned to one of surprise and then joy when she saw Sally and Gillian.

"Oh my God, hi!" she cried, as she reached out to hug them both.

"Hey, Isabella," Sally said, hugging her back.

"What are you guys doing here?" Isabella asked as she ushered them inside, into the large hallway.

"We were just passing through and we thought we'd pay you a visit. You're not busy are you?" Gillian asked her. Isabella shook her head.

"No, you've come at a good time. The kids are off with Ben at his parents house in Florida for the weekend so I'm here on my own," she explained, leading them into the kitchen.

"Sit down," she gestured at the table and Sally and Gillian obeyed.

"Did you guys eat? I was just about to put on some dinner and you're welcome to join me," she offered.

Gillian nodded. "That would be great, thanks," she replied, smiling. Isabella nodded and set to work, preparing the meal.

"So, how are your aunts?" she asked them.

"They're good," Sally told her.

"And the girls?" she continued.

"Oh, they're good. Still as mischievous as ever," Gillian replied. Isabella laughed.

"What about yours? What ages are they now?" Sally asked her.

"Brent is 7 and Rosie is 5," Isabella replied.

"Same as Kylie and Antonia," Gillian said.

They stayed in the kitchen for the evening, chatting and laughing about old times. "Remember the Midnight Margaritas?" Isabella asked, laughing.

"Yeah, that time when you and Stephanie came home and I was 12. That was the first time I ever drank," Sally said, chuckling at the memory.

"Yeah, I remember that. The aunts came home and you were so drunk. You puked all over Aunt Francis's new shoes," Gillian said. They all laughed at the memory of that night.

"God, that was 10 years ago," Sally said, as they stopped laughing.

"Yeah, it doesn't seem all that long ago, does it?" Isabella agreed. "I miss her so much sometimes," she continued sadly, glancing towards a picture on the mantlepiece.

Sally and Gillian followed her gaze and looked at the picture showing two women, smiling happily for the camera. It was Isabella and Stephanie. "When was that taken?" Sally asked her.

"About 3 years ago. It was a couple of months before she died. She came over with Bill and the girls and stayed for a couple of days," she replied. There was a silence as each of them thought about their absent friend.

Gillian glanced down at her watch.

"Oh my God, look at the time. It's almost midnight. We should get going," she said in surprise.

"Oh, don't worry. Why don't you stay here tonight," Isabella offered.

"Oh, no, we don't want to impose," Sally replied.

"Don't be silly. You wouldn't be imposing. The kids aren't here so it's just me. We could have a girls night. Just like old times," Isabella assured her.

"Well, if you're sure you're not busy," Gillian said.

"Of course not," Isabella said, waving her hand in the air. "Now, I'll go get the tequila," she continued, as she headed out the door.

xxxxxx

The next morning, Gillian slowly opened her eyes and blinked at the bright sunlight that was streaming in on her. She groaned and sat up, looking around at her sister and friend sprawled out on the floor beside her. She clutched at her head when she sat up too quickly and the room began to spin. Noticing the two empty tequila bottles, fuzzy images of the night before flashed in her mind. They must have nodded off at around three after finishing off the two bottles.

She glanced down at her watch. "2 o'clock," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She stood up and walked towards her sister.

"Sal," she said, nudging her arm with her foot.

"Sally," she said louder. Her sister stirred and then groaned.

"Go away," she muttered, turning over and cradling the cushion she was lying on. Gillian shook her head and was about to kick her sister again, when Isabella sat up.

"Oh my God," she rasped as she put her head in her hands.

"Killer headache?" Gillian asked her. Isabella didn't reply but nodded her head.

"Me too," Gillian said.

"I'll go make us some breakfast," Isabella said as she climbed slowly to her feet.

"Better make that lunch," Gillian called after her. She heard Isabella's answering laugh.

"Sally, get up," Gillian ordered her sister, as she turned around. When Sally didn't move, Gillian bent down and leaned towards her.

"SALLY," she shouted into her ear.

"Gillian," Sally muttered as she pushed her sister away, and opened her eyes. She sat up and looked around.

"Oh," she moaned as she rubbed her temples.

"Come on, it's ready," Isabella called from the kitchen and Sally stood up unsteadily and they made their way to the kitchen.

xxxxxx

Two hours later, they felt much better after eating and showering. They had said goodbye to Isabella with promises to visit again and were currently just leaving Philadelphia. Suddenly, Sally's phone rang. She looked down at it, flipping it open. "Hello?" she said.

"Hey, Sally. It's Sam," came the reply.

"Hi, Sam. What's up?" Sally asked.

"Um, I'm kinda worried about Dean," Sam replied.

"Dean? Why? What's wrong?" she asked. Gillian looked over.

"Uh, we kinda had this fight and I was heading for California and he was going to Indiana. Well, I rang him last night and he said that he was hunting some pagan god or something. Anyway, I've been trying to call him and he's not picking up. I was just wondering if you had heard from him?" Sam explained.

"No, we haven't," she told him.

"Oh, okay, then, thanks," he said.

"Where are you now?" Sally asked him.

"Uh, at a bus stop in Nebraska. I'm going to head back, I think, just to make sure he's not in trouble or anything," he replied.

"Hey, we can head back and check it out," Sally said.

"Oh, you're probably home by now," Sam said.

"No, we're in Philadelphia. We stopped off to see an old friend. Seriously, Sam, it would be no problem," Sally assured him.

"Are you sure? That would be great," Sam said, thankfully.

"Yeah, I'll call you when we get there," Sally replied before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Gillian asked her sister.

"Dean's not answering his phone so Sam's worried. I said we'd go back and check it out," Sally replied.

"Go back to Indiana? Sally, we just left," Gillian complained.

"Gillian, he could be in trouble," Sally replied. Gillian nodded.

"Okay, okay," she relented, indicating and turning the car to head for the opposite direction.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Thanks to all those who have reviewed - xDollfacex, Deirdre and wallytops!! Sorry about the shortness... it's late so I'm tired but I promise there will be a longer chapter tomorrow!! Enjoy!!**

A few hours later, they drove into Burkitsville. They cruised through the town, glancing at the buildings as they passed by. "So, where to?" Gillian asked as she slowed down when they came to the centre of the small town.

She pulled up on the kerb and they both stepped out into the light rain that was falling. "Let's ask around. See if anyone has seen him," Sally suggested.

Gillian nodded and they looked at the building beside them. The sign above the door read "Scotty's Café".

Walking forwards, Gillian pushed open the door, closely followed by Sally. The place was empty. "That's strange. I wonder where everyone is?" Gillian muttered, taking a step forward.

Suddenly, a man appeared from behind a door. "I'm sorry, we're closed," he told them, curtly.

"Oh, well, we were just looking for a friend of ours," Sally explained.

"Guy in his late 20's, short dark hair," she paused for a second. "He's kind of a dick," Gillian described Dean.

The man shook his head. "Sorry, haven't seen anyone like that around here," he replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to close up," he continued.

He ushered Sally and Gillian towards the door and closed it in their faces, without a backwards glance. "Huh, that was rude," Gillian said, bewildered.

"And weird. He's lying," Sally said.

"I know. Come on, let's take another look around," Gillian said, as she walked down a side alley beside the café. They came into an open area in the back and Gillian stopped.

"Look," she said, pointing to the corner. Sally looked over and saw Dean's Impala.

They walked towards the car and examined it. "Dean wouldn't just leave his car. He must be still here," Gillian said.

Suddenly, they heard a noise behind them. A group of people emerged from around the corner. Sally and Gillian recognised the man from the café. One of the men was pushing a girl forwards. She turned to the woman beside him.

"Aunt Stacey, Uncle Harley, please," she cried. Sally and Gillian ducked behind Dean's car. The group of people continued forward, not noticing them crouched behind the Impala.

"Why are you doing this?" the girl asked.

"For the common good," the woman replied. They walked towards a door that must have lead to a cellar in the ground and stopped in front of it. The woman looked around.

"Where's the sheriff?" she asked.

"Right here," came a reply. Sally and Gillian were horrified to hear that the voice came from behind them. Turning slowly, they came face to face with the sheriff a shotgun pointed at them both.

"We've got a couple of intruders," he said to the others.

"Get up," he ordered them. Sally and Gillian did as they were told.

"Who are you?" the sheriff asked them.

"They're looking for that guy," the man from the café told the other, jerking his head towards the door in the ground.

"Look, we don't know what's going on here, but all we want to know is where are friend is," Sally explained to them, raising her hands.

"Shut up," the sheriff said, jabbing the end of the shotgun into Sally's back.

"Hey, leave her alone," Gillian shouted, taking a step forwards.

The sheriff turned the gun on her. "Don't move," he ordered. The man holding onto the girl looked at the others.

"We don't have to sacrifice Emily. We can take one of them, instead," he said, gesturing towards Sally and Gillian.

The woman nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Wait a minute, sacrifice?" Gillian cried, looking around. "Who are you people?" she asked them.

"I think we should take her," the sheriff said, jabbing the gun into Gillian's back and pushing her forward.

"Hey," Sally cried out, stepping forward.

"Back off or I pull the trigger," the sheriff warned Sally, pushing the gun harder into Gillian's back. She winced as it pressed against her spine, painfully. Sally stopped and watched helplessly as the man from the café opened the wooden door and pushed Gillian down the stairs, slamming it shut and locking it.

He stood up and looked around. "Now, what do we do with her?" the woman asked, jabbing her finger at Sally.

"We'll deal with her later. For now, just bring her back to our house. We'll keep her with Emily," the man who was still holding onto the girl said. The sheriff grabbed Sally and steered her back down the alley, shoving her roughly into the back of a squad car.

She watched as they pushed the blonde girl in beside her. "Are you alright?" Sally asked her.

The girl nodded. "I don't know what's happening. My aunt and uncle just grabbed me and brought me here," she replied.

Sally glanced at the gold chain around the girls neck. It had her name in gold lettering on it. "You're Emily?" Sally asked.

The girl nodded in reply. "I'm Sally," she told her.

The girl looked at her fearfully. "What's going to happen to us?" she asked.

Sally shrugged. "I don't know," she said softly, her thoughts turning to her sister and what might have happened to her.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**So, here's the longer one I promised!!**

Gillian stumbled down the steps and cringed when the door above her slammed shut. She turned, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. "Gillian?" a voice said from the bottom of the stairs.

"Dean?" she asked, as she headed down the last few steps. She could dimly see him before her.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked her in surprise.

"Well, we were here to rescue you," she replied.

"You're doing a hell of a job," Dean said, sarcastically. She gave him a withering look before turning to examine her surroundings.

"How did you know to come?" he continued.

"Sam called and said that you weren't answering your phone. We said we'd check it out. He's on his way, I think," she replied.

"So, do you know what's going on?" she asked him, sitting down on an upturned crate. "Are they going to kill us?" she continued.

"Sacrifice us, which is, I dunno, classier, I guess," he replied. Gillian let out a humourless laugh as Dean walked up the stairs and began to ram the door with his shoulder.

"So, sacrifice us to what, exactly?" she continued, watching as he sighed in frustration and clambered back down the stairs. He sat down beside her on the crate.

"Well, it looks like the people here are using a pagan god to bring prosperity to their town. I went to the library for some help and I figured out it's a Vanir, a Norse god. The villagers build effigies to it or practise human sacrifice, one male and one female," Dean explained.

"Some kind of fertility rite or something," Gillian muttered.

"Don't get any ideas, Gillian," Dean sniggered.

"Huh, you wish," Gillian retorted. The smile faded from Dean's face.

"Anyway, did you figure out where this effigy is?" she continued. Dean nodded.

"Yeah, an orchard, just outside of town. This really fugly scarecrow there," he replied. Gillian nodded.

"So, how are the people controlling the thing?" she questioned.

"Well, this particular Vanir's energy comes from a sacred tree. I'm guessing that this tree is in the orchard so I was heading over to torch it when the sheriff got me," Dean explained. Dean indicated his face and Gillian noticed the large purple bruise beginning to form on his forehead.

"Ouch," she said when she saw it. Dean nodded in agreement.

"That guy is a piece of work. He really hurt me too," Gillian said.

"He hurt you? How?" Dean asked, worry in his voice.

"Shotgun in the back," she replied, rubbing at her lower back as she said this. She turned and lifted up her t-shirt slightly, revealing a red mark right beside that infamous butterfly tattoo.

"That looks sore," Dean said, stepping forward and touching the mark lightly. Gillian shivered slightly as his fingertips brushed her skin. Noticing this he stopped and dropped his hand.

"Sorry," he said.

"No, it's just that your hand is cold," she explained. He nodded. Her skin had been warm under his touch. He gulped and looked around.

"Where's Sally?" he asked. Gillian frowned with a worried expression on her face.

"I don't know. They were going to put her with this Emily girl," she replied.

"Emily? The blonde girl?" Dean asked. Gillian nodded. "She was in on this?" he continued.

Gillian shook her head. "I don't think so. They were going to sacrifice her except then me and Sal turned up," she explained.

"Prefect timing," Dean muttered.

"I know," Gillian said. "It's actually kind of ironic," she continued.

"What do you mean?" Dean said, looking at her confused.

"I'm going to get sacrificed the day before my birthday," she replied.

"Tomorrow's your birthday?" he asked. Gillian nodded.

"I'm going to be 26," she muttered, looking up at the wooden door. Small beams of light were coming in through spaces in the wood.

Suddenly, they heard the door being unlocked and it swung open. The four people from before were standing there, shotguns raised, the light behind them casting long shadows into the cellar.

"It's time," the woman said. Gillian and Dean looked at one another. The sheriff made his way down the stairs followed by the café man.

"Scotty!" Dean exclaimed when he saw him a wide smile breaking out across his face. "I should have know you were part of this," he said.

The sheriff turned to Gillian and grabbed her arm, pulling her up the stairs. "Let's go," he snarled. "Hey," she cried out.

Scotty grabbed Dean's arm and he too hauled Dean up the stairs and out into the bright sunshine. Gillian and Dean were ushered into the back of a truck and the door was slammed. "That guy is real bastard," Gillian muttered, massaging her arm where the sheriff had grabbed. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as the truck started and began to move.

"Hey, Gillian, don't worry, we're going to get out of this okay?" Dean assured her. He moved over and sat beside her.

"I hope you're right," she sighed.

A few minutes later, the truck stopped and the door was opened. Dean and Gillian were ordered to get out and led through the orchard, guns trained on them at all times. Emily's uncle pushed Gillian down to the ground in front of a large apple tree and ordered her to sit back where he began to tie her hands up to the tree. The sheriff pushed Dean down in front of the next tree and Scotty began to also tie him up.

"How many people have you killed, sheriff? How much blood is on your hands?" Dean asked him.

"We don't kill them," the sheriff replied curtly.

"No, but you sure cover up after. I mean, how many cars have you hidden? Clothes have you buried?" Dean continued. The sheriff looked at him and then walked away.

Gillian looked at the man tying her up. "Please, don't do this," she pleaded with him.

"Look, I'm sorry," he told her. The woman, his wife, looked down.

"Try to understand, it's our responsibility and there is just no other choice," she told her.

"You're killing people," Gillian said softly.

"That's what sacrifice means. It's for the greater good. The town needs to be saved. The good of the many, outweighs the good of the one," she finished.

They all began to walk away, leaving Gillian and Dean in the orchard, tied to the tree's. "I hope your apple pie is friggin' worth it," Dean shouted after them.

"So, what's the plan?" Gillian asked Dean. He paused and looked around.

"I'm working on it," he replied.

There was a silence. "So, you and Sam had a fight?" Gillian asked. Dean sighed.

"Yeah," he replied. "He wanted to go to California to find our dad and I thought that we should do what Dad told us and go to Indiana. We didn't really agree," he continued.

"I'm guessing that's a sore spot for you guys," Gillian commented.

Dean chuckled. "That's an understatement," he told her. "I've always followed my Dad's orders. Sam has a mind of his own. I mean, when we were young he always wanted to be normal, like other kids. Go to school, have friends. But that was hard, because we travelled around a lot, never staying in one place for too long. Sometimes I did kinda want a fixed address, a home," he admitted.

Gillian nodded. "Yeah, but, moving around can have it's advantages. I would have given anything to have left that town when I was younger. That's why I ran away as soon as I could," she explained.

Dean twisted around to look at her. "Was it really that bad?" he asked.

"Oh, you have no idea. Well, you kinda do. I mean, you seen what it was like when you asked about us," she pointed out.

"Yeah, they were pretty freaked out about you," Dean agreed. It was Gillian's turn to chuckle.

"Now, _that_ is an understatement," Gillian replied. "They're terrified of us. We walk down the street and mother's going by with their children, shield them, as if we were dangerous," she continued and the hurt was evident in her voice.

"I feel sorry for Kylie and Antonia though. What they go through at school. I mean, it was the same for me and Sal, of course, but now, we can leave whenever we want to," she explained.

"Well, if it's so bad, why don't your aunts move?" Dean asked.

"It's their home. I mean, that house has been in our family for generations. It would be too hard to just up and leave. Plus, they make a lot of money, doing what they do," she said.

"What do they do?" Dean asked, leaning forward interestedly.

"They do spells for people. Mostly love spells," Gillian explained.

"And they get paid?" Dean asked. Gillian nodded.

"Oh yeah, a lot. But I think it is so hypocritical of those people who come to them for help. I mean, they treat us like crap and then, turn around and beg for our help. And then, after they get what they want, they go back to treating us like crap," Gillian said, her voice growing animated.

"That must be hard," Dean said. Gillian shrugged.

"I have my family. I was very happy growing up in that house. I mean, instead of homework, the aunts used to teach us spells and we used to get chocolate cake for breakfast," Gillian laughed at the memory and Dean smiled. "But, like I said, I left as soon as I could," she said quietly, her smile fading. "And I don't think Sally has ever forgiven me for that," she continued.

"Gillian, I'm sure she understands. I mean, didn't she leave, too?" Dean asked.

"That was different. Sally went away to escape. She thought that if she left behind her past, that things would be different. Mainly, the curse. When we were kids, Sally never wanted to fall in love. But then she met Michael and, well, you can't control these things.

After he died, she was pretty broken up about it. She felt like it was her fault. So now, she's even more reluctant to let anyone in. And I know that she doesn't want this life. She want's a family, and a husband to grow old with but she's never going to let herself have that because she doesn't want to be hurt like that again," Gillian finished and looked up at Dean.

He was staring at her, enraptured by the story. "What?" she asked.

"It's just so tragic. It's like Shakespeare or something," he replied. Gillian let out a humourless laugh.

"Except it's not. It's our lives," she said quietly.

"What about you, Gillian?" he asked her.

"What about me?" she asked, looking at him confusedly.

"Don't you want that? A family?" he questioned. Gillian let out a real laugh.

"Me? I don't think I could be a perfect little housewife. I mean, I could never leave this life. I love hunting too much. I think my husband wouldn't be too happy if I told him that I hunt monsters and demons for a living. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that, I'm a witch and because of a 200 year old curse he's going to probably die an untimely death," she exclaimed.

"I think I can see where you're coming from," Dean nodded and smiled. "Hey, do you know what time it is?" Dean asked her.

Gillian looked up and twisted her wrist so that she could see her watch. "Um, just past midnight," she replied.

"Well, then, happy birthday," Dean said.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, thanks," she said, chuckling lightly. "When's your birthday?" she asked him.

"January 24th, I was 27," he replied.

"We're too young to die," Gillian commented.

"Don't worry, I'm still working on my plan. We're not going to die tonight," Dean assured her.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

A few hours later, Sally was still locked in a room in Emily's uncle and aunts house. She sat down on the bed and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. The door was locked and she was on the second floor so she couldn't get out the window. They had taken her phone before they left so she couldn't call for help. Suddenly, she heard a noise at the door.

Standing up, she walked over. "Who's there?" she called out.

"It's Emily. I'm going to get you out," came the reply. A few seconds later the door opened.

"Come on, hurry, we don't have much time. My aunt and uncle will be back any second," she said as she led Sally down the stairs.

"Do you know where my phone is?" Sally asked her. She disappeared through a door and returned a few moments later with the phone in her hand.

"Where are they gone?" Sally asked her as they hurried out of the house. It was already dark.

Emily shrugged. "I don't know," she replied.

"Do you know where my sister is?" Sally questioned. Emily nodded. "I heard them say they were going to take them to the orchard. We have to hurry, there isn't much time left," she replied. Sally nodded and hurried after Emily.

She led her to Gillian's car. "Here's the keys," she said handing them over.

"Aren't you coming?" Sally asked her. Emily shook her head.

"I'll stay here in case they come back," she replied. Sally nodded.

"Thank you," she said as she sat into the car. Starting the car, she sped off through the town and towards the orchard. She stopped when she saw a figure walking along the road. Pulling over, she rolled down the window.

"Sam!" she called. Sam turned and stared at her in surprise.

"Sally? What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't have time to explain. Get in," she replied. Sam hurriedly sat into the car and Sally continued towards the orchard.

xxxxxx

Gillian listened to the owls hooting and the crickets chirping and then stared at Dean. "You don't have a plan, do you?" she said.

"I'm working on it," he replied. He struggled and turned to look around.

"Can you see?" he asked her.

"What?" she answered.

"Is the scarecrow moving yet?" Dean asked. Gillian tried to struggle against the bonds and look around.

"I can't see," she told him.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them.

"Oh no," Gillian cried. Dean began to pull at the ropes holding his hands furiously but he couldn't get free.

"Oh no," Gillian said again as the footsteps got closer and closer.

"Dean?" Sam said as he came around the corner.

"Oh, oh, I take everything back I said. I'm so happy to see you," Dean cried when he saw Sam.

"Gilly?" Sally said as she too came around the corner.

"Sally!" Gillian said in delight. "Oh, thank God you're here," she said.

Sam bent down and began to untie Dean as Sally did the same to Gillian. "How'd you get here?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam looked guilty. "I, uh, stole a car," he replied.

Dean laughed loudly. "That's my boy," he cried.

"Hey, keep an eye on that scarecrow. He could come alive any minute," Gillian warned them.

Sally looked around. "What scarecrow?" she asked. Dean scrambled up and looked behind them.

"Oh no," he muttered as he stared at the place where the scarecrow should hang. "Come on," he shouted as Gillian clambered to her feet.

They all began to head back towards the road, jogging slightly and staring around in search of the scarecrow. "Alright, now, this sacred tree you were talking about?" Gillian asked.

"It's the source of it's power," Dean clarified.

"So, let's find it and burn it," Sam suggested.

"In the morning. Let's just shag ass before Leatherface catches up," Dean replied.

Suddenly, they heard a noise and stopped. Lights were shone in their faces and Harley and Stacey stepped forwards, pointing their shotguns at the four.

"This way," Dean said, turning to run the other way. But the rest of the group appeared from the trees, their shotguns trained on them. They were surrounded.

Suddenly, there was a different sound, the sound of a creature growling. They stared around wildly, trying to find the source of the noise. "Please, let us go," Sally begged.

"It'll be over quickly, I promise," Harley told her.

"Please," Gillian said.

"You have to let him take you, you have to-," he broke off suddenly and looked down at the knife that had sliced hrough his chest. Stacey began to scream when she saw the blade piercing her husband from behind. Turning around, she stared in horror at the scarecrow behind her.

The rest of the townspeople began to run as the scarecrow grabbed Stacey and began to pull her and Harley's lifeless body back into the orchard. Dean, Sam, Gillian and Sally quickly ran towards Gillian's car.

xxxxxx

In the morning, they came back to the orchard with Emily. She had been saddened to hear of her aunt and uncle's death but wanted to join them to see the burning of the sacred tree.

She led them through the trees, which didn't look nearly as ominous in the morning light, towards the biggest tree, right in the middle. There were ancient carvings criss-crossing it's gnarled trunk.

Sam stepped forward and began to douse the tree with petrol as Dean bent down and picked up a large branch. Pulling out his lighter, he lit the end of it. Emily stood forward. "Let me," she said, reaching out and grasping the flaming branch.

"You know the whole town is going to die," Gillian warned her.

"Good," Emily replied bitterly as she threw the branch onto the dry leaves scattered around the base of the trunk.

They watched as the flames licked up the trunk and soon the whole tree was consumed by the fire.

xxxxxx

Later that day, they all watched as Emily got on a bus bound for Boston. She turned and smiled at them before she got on and they waved back at her. "Do you think she's going to be alright?" Sam asked.

"I hope so," Sally replied as she watched the bus leave.

"And the rest of the townspeople? They'll just get away with it?" Sam asked.

"What'll happen to the town will have to be punishment enough," Dean said as he began to walk towards the Impala.

The others followed him and Gillian leaned against her car. "So, I guess we'll see you around," she said.

"Probably sooner rather than later at the rate we keep meeting up," Dean replied. They laughed.

"Okay, then, bye," Gillian said as she opened the drivers side door.

"Hey, thanks, for all your help," Dean said gratefully. Sally and Gillian nodded.

"Anytime," Gillian called as she slammed the door. Sally waved and sat into the car where Gillian proceeded to start the engine and drive away. Sam and Dean watched them go. Then Dean turned to his brother.

"So, can I drop you off somewhere?" he asked.

"No, I think you're stuck with me," Sam replied. Dean looked at him in surprise.

"What made you change you're mind?" he asked. Sam shook his head.

"I didn't. I still want to find Dad and you're still a pain in the ass," he paused and Dean nodded in agreement.

"But, Jess and Mom, they're both gone. Dad is God knows where. You and me, we're all that's left. So, uh, if we're going to see this through, we're going to do it together," Sam told him.

Dean looked at his brother. "Hold me, Sam, that was beautiful," he said in a mock emotional voice as he clasped his brother on the shoulder. Sam shoved his hand off and Dean laughed and headed towards the car.

"You should be kissing my ass, you were dead meat, dude," Sam exclaimed.

"Yeah, right, I had a plan. I would've gotten out," Dean replied.

"Yeah, right, if me and Sally hadn't have shown up, you and Gillian would have been gone for sure," Sam said as he sat into the car. Dean just shook his head in reply.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

**Okay, this is kind of a short chapter I know but it's really just a filler... no Sam and Dean in it!! Sorry! Anyway... once again thanks to xDollfacex and wallytops! This is for you! Thanks for helping me reach 40 chapters!! :)**

A few weeks later, Gillian waited outside the large red brick building, sitting in her car, the music turned up high. She leaned back and looked at her watch. She was waiting for Kylie and Antonia to come out of school and she was getting impatient. All the other children had left the building nearly 10 minutes before and the large playground was empty. Gillian sighed and got out of the car.

She strode towards the door and climbed the steps to the entrance. Pushing it open, she stepped inside. It was the first time she had been in the school since she herself had left it over 14 years before. She glanced around and saw the same reception desk that had always been there and was surprised to see the same wizened old woman sitting behind it.

She had seemed ancient to Gillian when she was 12 years old and now she thought so even more. She walked towards the desk and stopped in front of it. The old woman didn't notice her and Gillian cleared her throat loudly. The woman kept her head down and was scribbling in a book. Gillian then remembered that she was almost deaf and she leaned over and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

"Oh," the woman exclaimed as she looked up surprised. The surprise on her face turned to horror when she realised who Gillian was - an Owens woman.

"Wh-what can I-I help you with?" the woman asked nervously. Gillian ignored the way her voice shook, she was used to it.

"I'm looking for Kylie and Antonia Owens," Gillian explained. The woman nodded and stood up, silently leading her down a corridor.

"Where are they?" Gillian asked, confused.

"I-I think they are in detention," the woman said meekly.

"Detention?" Gillian said confused. "For what?" she asked. The woman shook her head.

"I don't know," she said in a whisper. Gillian frowned slightly as she continued to follow the woman up a flight of stairs.

All these hallways were familiar to Gillian but the memories weren't good ones. Her and Sally had always stuck together because none of the other kids had played with them. They were too afraid. Gillian's thoughts were interrupted when the woman stopped in front of a door and knocked lightly on it. "Come in," a voice called out. The woman pushed open the door and stepped in, closely followed by Gillian.

She looked around the small classroom and saw Kylie and Antonia each bent over a page and writing furiously. The old receptionist backed out of the room and closed the door. Gillian turned to look at the teacher sitting behind the desk at the top of the room. "Susie Reeves," Gillian muttered when she saw her. Susie's face paled visibly when she saw Gillian standing before her.

"Gillian," she said, standing up.

"What's going on here?" Gillian demanded, gesturing towards the two little girls, who were staring intently at Gillian.

"Kylie and Antonia were misbehaving at lunch time today and as a result they have both been given detention," Susie explained, clutching at the table beside her.

"Misbehaving?" Gillian said. "What do you mean, misbehaving?" she asked, her frown deepening.

"There was an incident in the lunch yard. Kylie was in a fight with another student and Antonia got involved," the teacher continued. Gillian's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, really, a fight? And what about the other student involved? Did they get detention?" Gillian asked.

Susie gulped. "No, that student didn't start the fight so they did not receive a punishment," she explained.

"Didn't start the fight? Are you serious?" Gillian asked angrily, taking a step forward. Susie took a step backwards away from Gillian. Gillian glanced over at Kylie and Antonia.

"Come on, girls, we're leaving," she ordered. They stood up and walked towards Gillian.

"You can't do that," Susie said, nervously.

Gillian looked back at the other woman. "Go wait outside girls," she told them. Kylie and Antonia obeyed and left the room.

Susie looked at Gillian warily as she stepped closer. "I'm warning you now, Susie, if you ever pull something like this again, you're gonna have to answer to me," she hissed in a low voice. "Do you understand?" she asked her menacingly.

Susie nodded her head slightly, her hands shaking. "Good," Gillian replied as she turned and left the room.

She looked down at the girls standing before her. "What did you do?" she asked as she slammed the door behind her. They began to walk down the stairs.

"It wasn't my fault," Kylie exclaimed. "Laura Simon started saying that stupid rhyme and then threw food at Toni. I just got so angry that I hit her," Kylie exclaimed.

Gillian looked down at her. "Kylie, you know you shouldn't have hit her," she scolded. Kylie looked at the ground and nodded.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Hey," Gillian said. The little girl looked up.

"Did you get her?" she asked. Kylie and Antonia laughed.

"Right in the nose," Kylie exclaimed. Gillian laughed.

"High 5!" she said, holding her hand out.

"There was blood everywhere," Antonia added.

"You made her nose bleed?" Gillian asked. Kylie nodded.

"Double high 5!" Gillian exclaimed holding both her hands out. The girls hit one hand each. They passed the reception desk and the old woman looked up fearfully as they passed. Gillian waved at her cheerfully and smiled as the old woman ducked under her desk. Gillian laughed.

"Let's go get ice-cream," she said as she led the two girls out the door and down the steps.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

**Sorry about the delay. I was actually thinking of discontinuing the story but a little part of me still feels there's more so I'm going to keep going for a while longer! :P:P Thanks to xDollfacex and wallytops for their loyal reviewing. Also to Jamiez001 who convinced me to keep going!! Thank you :):)**

A few days after the incident at the school, Sally approached her sister and held out a newspaper clipping to her. Gillian picked it up and scanned through the page. "Young boy sees neighbour abducted by a "monster". Authorities are stumped by the disappearance of Alvin Jenkins," Gillian read off the page.

She looked up. "What do you think?" Sally asked her. Gillian nodded.

"Let's go check it out," she agreed. "Where abouts?" she asked.

"Hibbing, Minnesota," Sally replied.

xxxxxx

A few hours, they drove into the town. It was late so they decided to rent a room for the night and start early in the morning. Gillian unlocked the door with the key she had gotten from the check-in desk and pushed it open. She stood inside and turned on the lights, dumping her bag beside the door. Sally followed her in and shut the door behind her.

"Hey, I'm just going to get a drink from the vending machine outside," Sally told her as she too dropped her bag. "Do you want anything?" she asked.

Gillian shook her head. "No, thanks." she replied as she walked into the bathroom. "I'm going to get a shower," she called out.

"Okay," shouted back as she opened the door and walked out, shivering slightly at the cool night air.

xxxxxx

10 minutes later, Gillian walked out of the bathroom, towelling her hair dry. She looked around and was surprised to see that Sally wasn't back. She could see Sally's purse on the table so she knew she wasn't gone far. She wouldn't have left without it. She pulled out her phone and dialled Sally's number. It went straight to voicemail.

Gillian felt the first niggling feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach. She pulled open the door and hurried across the deserted car-park, towards the dim light of the vending machine. She stopped in front of it and looked around. There was no sign of Sally. Taking a step backwards, she felt something against her foot. She looked down and saw a phone. Picking it up, she flipped it open. It was Sally's. "Oh God," Gillian said softly.

"SALLY!" she shouted, spinning around wildly.

"SALLY!" she continued calling her name as she searched the car-park for her sister. She stopped, her heart thudding wildly.

"Sal," she said softly. She glanced down at the scar on her hand as she felt it throb painfully and she knew something was wrong.

Gillian hurried back to the motel room and pulled out her phone. She flipped it open and scrolled down the list of names. When she landed on the name she wanted, she pushed call. Pressing the phone to her ear, she waited until he picked up. "Dean?" she asked.

"I need your help," she said.

xxxxxx

"Okay, Gillian, we'll be there in a few hours," Dean said into the phone before he hung up. Sam looked at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That was Gillian. Her and Sally where on a hunt in Minnesota and something got Sally," Dean explained.

"Something got her? What do you mean?" Sam asked, worry in his voice as he stood up.

Dean shrugged. "Gillian doesn't know. She reckons it was whatever they were hunting but she doesn't know what it is. They just arrived," Dean continued.

"I told her that we'd go out and help. I mean, we do owe them for that whole scarecrow thing," Dean told him. Sam nodded and hurriedly began to pack his bags.

xxxxxx

A few hours later, they pulled up in front of the motel where Sally and Gillian were staying and hopped out of the car. Gillian had told them the room number and spotting it, they strode towards it. Dean lifted his hand and rapped on the door. It was answered almost immediately by a tired looking Gillian. "Hey," she said when she saw them, standing back to let them in.

They walked by her into the room and Sam turned to her. "What happened?" he asked her.

"I don't know. I was in the shower and Sally said she was going to go to the vending machine to get a drink. When I got out, she still wasn't back. I tried calling her cell but it went straight to voicemail. I went out to look for her and I found it," she explained, holding up the phone so they could see.

"Do you know what it is?" Dean asked her. Gillian shook her head.

"We just got here a couple of hours ago. We hadn't been here 5 minutes before whatever it was took her," Gillian broke off and ran her fingers through her hair, sighing.

"What if something bad happens to her? What if something bad has already happened?" she cried out.

"Look, we're going to find her, Gillian," Dean assured her.

"There was a security camera near the check-in area," Sam pointed out. Gillian nodded.

"I already looked at the tapes. The guy behind the counter showed me. There was nothing on them," she replied.

"Well, why did you come here in the first place?" Dean asked.

"A man called Alvin Jenkins was taken a few days ago. A little boy saw it and said it was a monster. We were going to check it out," Gillian explained. She pulled out the newspaper article with this information and handed it to Dean. He scanned it quickly.

"Okay, well, we should go talk to the boy and ask him what he saw," Dean said. Gillian nodded in agreement.

"I think you should get some rest, you look exhausted," Dean continued. Gillian shook her head.

"I can't sleep," she replied. "I'm coming with you," she said, standing up.

"It's too early to do anything now. Let's wait until morning," Dean told her. Dean looked over at Sam who was flipping through the pages of their dad's journal.

"What is it Sam?" Dean asked him.

"Dad marked the area. Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker," Sam explained. Dean walked over to look.

"Why would he even do that?" Dean asked.

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night and grabs people and then vanishes. He found this, too," Sam continued, pointing at the journal.

"This county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state," he told them.

"That is weird," Dean mused. "Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds?" he asked. "Jenkins was taking from a parking lot, so was Sally," he pointed out.

"Well, there are all kinds. Spring-heeled Jacks, phantom gasers, they take people anywhere," Sam explained.

"But that's not all," Sam continued.

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked.

"All the people that have gone missing before have all been men," Sam told him.

"Well, then, why was Sally taken?" Dean asked. Sam shrugged and Dean turned towards Gillian.

She was lying on her side, her knees curled up towards her chest. He wasn't surprised to see that she was fast asleep.

"She needs to rest," Dean said. Sam glanced at his watch and then looked back at his brother.

"I'm going to take a drive around, see if I find anything. I'll go talk to that kid later too," he said. Dean nodded.

"I'll stay with her," he replied, nodding at Gillian's sleeping form. Sam stood up and walked towards the door.

"And Sam," Dean called after him. Sam turned. "Be careful," Dean warned. Sam nodded and shut the door.

Dean turned to Gillian. She was lying out across the bed. He took the blanket from the other bed and pulled it over her, tucking it around her.

"Don't worry, we'll find her," he whispered and she sighed softly but didn't wake up.

He sat down on the other bed and pulled out his fathers journal, flicking through the pages. Finding nothing useful, he lay it aside and looked at Gillian. She really was very beautiful, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

But he knew that something between him and Gillian would never work out. Besides, she drove him crazy. It was alright to look at her when she was asleep and silent but when she was awake…. well that was a whole other story. He also highly doubted that she felt anything at all for him. Whenever she looked at him, he could see the disdain in her eyes. But he often looked at her like that too.

He wondered about her past. She was so mysterious. Sally was too but Dean knew that Gillian had a secret. Sally had said something back when they were in the haunted asylum and Gillian had made her shut up about it pretty quick. It was something that had bothered him since but he guessed it was something personal so he didn't bring it up.

Gillian sighed softly again and Dean guessed that she was having troubled dreams. He would have been to if it had been Sam that was missing. A lock of her hair had fallen across her face and he leaned over and gently pushed it off, his fingers lingering on her soft cheek.

At his touch, she gave another sigh and he removed his hand quickly. What was he doing? This was Gillian, the bitch, who always put him down and insulted him. He shouldn't like her.

But right now, she didn't look like a bitch. She looked like a little girl, and Dean just wanted to reach out and put his arms around her and protect her from all the pain she was suffering, not just Sally's disappearance but the hardships she had faced from all those who had her hurt her before - the people in the town, the men she had been with. He felt a stab of jealousy, just then, when he thought of her with other men.

He shook his head quickly. He was surprised at the intensity of the feeling. Why should he feel this way? He had only know her a couple of months and besides all that he didn't like Gillian. In fact, he felt the complete opposite about her.

But as he looked down at her, he wasn't so sure.

No, he told himself. He didn't want anything to happen with Gillian, ever and he turned away and once again picked up his father's journal.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two**

**A big thank you to those who reviewed: freakaleek4jello, lala winchester andJamiez001. This is for you guys! Also I never noticed but with the last chapter I reached 60,000 words! I didn't think I'd actually make it that far so thank you to all those who have reviewed the story so far and any lurkers (I know there are some!!) out there. Break your silence and review... It really makes my day!! :D**

Sally rubbed her head and sat up, blearily looking around her. She was sitting enclosed in a metal cage in what seemed to be a large barn. There were two more cages on either side of her. The one on her right was empty but in the other one was a man. He was lying face down on the floor, his head covered. "Hey," she called out to him.

The man groaned and moved. "You're alive," she said. The man sat up and looked over at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Does it look like I'm doing okay?" he asked her sarcastically.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Country, I think. Smells like the country," he said.

"You're Alvin Jenkins, aren't you?" Sally asked him, recognising him from the picture that had accompanied the newspaper article.

He nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

"I was looking for you," she told him.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. Sally nodded. "Yeah," she said.

"Well, no offence, but this is a piss-poor rescue," he told her sarcastically.

"Well, my sister's out there right now, too, she's looking for us, so," Sally assured him.

"So? She's not going to find us. We're in the middle of nowhere , waiting for them to come back and do God knows what to us," he said, angrily.

"What are they? Have you seen them?" she asked, urgently.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Whatever grabbed us, what do they look like?" she asked. He looked up at a sound at the other end of the large barn.

"See for yourself," he told her as he looked over at a door at the far end of the room. It opened and two figures walked in. Sally peered at them through the bars of her cage. Both of them were wearing hoods over their faces and one was carrying a plate of food. The electronic locks on the cages opened and the one with the plate headed towards Jenkins cage.

He hit the bars with the baseball bat in his hand and Jenkins pushed himself to the back of the cage, as far from the man as he could. "Leave me alone. Don't you touch me, leave me alone," Jenkins shouted at him. Sally watched as the man laid the plate of food down in the cage in front of Jenkins and backed out. The cage door slammed shut and the locks clicked back into place.

The man then turned to Sally's cage and leaned down so he could see inside. Sally backed away into the corner. The man's face was covered in grime and he smiled at her, showing teeth that were yellow and stained with black spots. He chuckled as he looked at her and a chill ran over Sally when she saw the look in his eyes. She knew that look.

She had seen it in many men's eyes when they had looked at her and dread filled her stomach when she thought of him…. Her thoughts trailed off when he stood up swiftly and turned towards the other figure. He reached up to a box that was affixed to the wall and twisting a key that was stuck in it, he pulled it out, closing it. The two men then left, slamming the door behind them.

"I'll be damned, they're just people," she muttered to herself.

"Yeah, what did you expect?" Jenkins asked, his mouth full of the food they had given him.

"How often do they feed you?" she asked.

"Once a day. They use that thing over there to open the cage," he explained, pointing at the metal box.

"And that's the only time you see them?" she asked.

"So far. But I'm waiting," he told her.

"Waiting for what?" she asked him.

"Ned Beatty time," he replied.

"I think that's the least of your worries right now," she told him, thinking of the look in the man's eyes and sighing to herself.

xxxxxx

Sam left the house of the boy who saw Alvin Jenkins' abduction and pulled out his phone. "Hey," Dean said when he answered.

"Okay, I talked to the kid," Sam said.

"What did he say? Did he see whatever it was?" Dean asked. Sam sat into the car and started the engine.

"No, he saw something pull Jenkins under the car and take him," Sam explained, as he pulled away from the kerb.

"Anything else?" Dean asked.

"Whatever it was made a noise which he described as like a whining growl," Sam answered.

"That could be a lot of things," Dean muttered.

"Yeah, I know, but that's all he saw or heard," Sam replied.

"Where are you?" Dean asked him.

"Um, just outside of town. You know, there's a forest running all along this road, Dean. I think we should check it out," Sam stated. "Whatever kind of creature this thing is, it could have it's lair in there," he continued.

"Yeah, okay, we can all check it out together," Dean replied. Sam began to voice his agreement when he broke off.

"Hey, I'm just after passing a lane. I think I'll check it out, see where it leads," Sam suggested.

"Call me if you find anything," Dean told him. Sam agreed and the line went dead.

Dean hung up and looked over as Gillian sat up. She rubbed her eyes and then glanced around. "What time is it?" she cried, jumping up and knocking the blanket from around her shoulders.

"You let me fall asleep," she accused Dean, as she bent down to put on her shoes.

"Gillian, you needed to rest," Dean began.

"No, Dean, I have to find her," Gillian said. "We have to go talk to that kid," she continued, standing up and heading towards the door.

"Sam has already talked to him," Dean said as he stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She stopped and looked up at him.

"I have to find her, Dean," she repeated her lip trembling slightly.

"And we will," Dean assured her, rubbing her arm. Gillian nodded.

"If anything happens to her," she said softly.

"I know," Dean said.

She turned and sat back on the bed. "So, what did Sam find out?" she asked. Dean repeated what Sam had said and Gillian nodded.

"I think I'm going to have to file a missing persons," Gillian said, rubbing her forehead.

"Okay, we'll head down to the station as soon as Sam get's back," Dean replied. Gillian nodded in reply.

They sat in relative silence for a while before Dean sighed. "What's wrong?" Gillian asked him.

"Sam should be back by now," Dean muttered.

"Where was he when he called?" Gillian asked.

"He said he was going to check out a forest area. I dunno, he thought it might be a lead," Dean replied.

"You should call him," Gillian suggested. Dean pulled out his phone and dialled.

"It's ringing but he's not answering," Dean said. He looked up at Gillian, a worried expression on his face.

"You don't think that…," Dean began but he broke off, shaking his head.

"What are the chances?" Gillian asked him.

"You never know," Dean replied.

"Just give it a couple more minutes. Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe he's just not picking up a signal," Gillian assured him. He nodded, distractedly and began to pace, Gillian watching him move from one side of the room to the other.

When nearly an hour had passed and there was still no sign of Sam, Dean looked up. He had abandoned his pacing about half an hour before and was sitting hunched over his dad's journal, riffling through the pages, searching for an answer. "I think I'm going to have to file that missing persons too," he said bleakly. Gillian glanced up from her position on the bed and nodded slowly.

"I don't believe this," Dean muttered.

"We can take my car," she told him. She stood up and walked towards him. He rubbed his hand across his face and she reached out her hand and placed it gently on his arm. He looked up and turned to her.

"We'll find them, you said so yourself," she said softly, as she squeezed his arm gently. He nodded slowly and she dropped her hand.

xxxxxx

"You said Sam was out by that forest near the highway?" Gillian asked him as she started the car. Dean nodded in reply.

"Maybe we should check it out first," she said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Dean agreed.

A couple of minutes later, they found themselves on the stretch of road Sam had described. "He said he was going to go down a laneway," Dean explained, searching for any sign of it. They drove up and down the main road a couple of times with no success.

"Let's head to the police station now," Gillian said in resignation. Dean nodded and fell silent.

They were headed back towards the town when Dean told her to stop. "Pull over," he said. She pulled in at an embankment and followed Dean as he hopped out of the car.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Look," he told her, pointing at a pole across the road. Mounted on top of it, there was a camera.

"Sam would have passed this way. There could be something on that camera," Dean said hopefully.

Gillian nodded. "I hope so," she replied.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three**

**A big thank you to both rae94 and lala winchester for your kind reviews! Please keep them coming!;)**

Sam opened his eyes slowly and blinked when he heard the sound of his name being called. He sat up, rubbing his head and frowned when he realised he was in a cage. "You're okay," a voice to his left said, relief in the tone.

He looked towards the direction of the voice. "Sally!" he exclaimed, scrambling forward, when he saw her. She, too, was in a cage beside his.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Considering," she replied. "What happened to you?" she asked him.

He frowned, trying to remember how he had ended up trapped. "I'm not sure. I was searching in the forest and something must have come up behind me and knocked me out," he replied. He looked back at her.

"It's good to see you," he told her.

She smiled at him. "You too," she said, relief in her voice. "What were you doing here in the first place?" she asked him.

"Gillian called us," Sam explained.

"Is she okay?" Sally asked.

"She's worried about you," Sam told her.

"What are they?" he asked her.

"Just people," Sally replied, shaking her head.

"People? Are you sure?" Sam asked, surprised. Sally nodded.

"What were you expecting them to be?" another voice called out. Sam looked around Sally's cage and saw a man in the next one.

"This is Jenkins," Sally explained.

"And they're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks, if you ask me, looking for love in all the wrong places," he told Sam.

Sally shuddered slightly. "Sally, did they do something to you?" Sam asked when he noticed this.

She looked at him, fear in her eyes, but shook her head. "Not yet," she said softly.

"What do you mean not yet?" he asked her, clutching the bars of the cage. She looked down.

"One of them, he, I don't know, but he had this look in his eyes," she said. Sam frowned.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he assured her as he looked around.

Glancing up, he noticed a metal pipe trailing over his cage. He reached up through the bars and grabbed it, tugging on it hard. He was worried, not just for himself but for Sally too. He was actually more worried about Sally and the thoughts of what they might do to her made him clench the pipe tighter.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he saw her sitting with her knees clenched to her chest, her long brown hair falling around her shoulders. She was worried. More than worried, she was afraid and Sam, sensing this, felt a sudden rage at the people who had captured them. He was determined that they wouldn't get away with hurting Sally.

xxxxxx

"So, what can we do for you Officer Washington and Officer Freeling," the police officer said, as she glanced at the badges that Dean and Gillian had handed to her.

"We're working a missing persons," Dean told her.

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police," the officer said.

"Uh, no, this is someone else. Actually, it's two people," Gillian explained.

"Sam is my cousin," Dean explained. Gillian nodded. "And Sally is my cousin," she added.

The officer nodded. "Sally went missing late last night," Gillian explained.

"We came to help but now Sam is gone too," Dean continued. The officer paused and looked at them both.

"Sam and Sally, they wouldn't have… run off together, or anything would they?" the officer questioned.

Gillian and Dean looked at one another and seemed to contemplate the answer before finally shaking their heads at the same time. "No, they wouldn't have done that," Gillian replied.

"Okay, what are their names?" she asked as she led them into a room.

"Sally Owens," Gillian said as she followed the woman who sat down in front of a computer. The woman typed Sally's name into the computer and clicked on a link that came up.

"Provincetown, Massachusetts?" the woman asked. Gillian nodded.

"22 years old, no previous criminal record," the woman read out.

"And the other name?" she asked, looking at Dean.

"Sam Winchester," Dean replied.

"Like the rifle?" the officer asked, as she typed into the computer.

"Like the rifle," Dean agreed as he glanced at Gillian.

The officer clicked on the link. "Samuel Winchester. So you know that his brother died in St. Louis and was suspected of murder?" she asked. Gillian looked at Dean, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Yeah, Dean," Dean said, laughing nervously. "Kinda the black sheep of the family," he explained. The woman continued to type into the computer.

"Handsome, though," Dean added as an afterthought. Gillian nudged him in the ribs without the officer seeing.

"Well, neither of them are showing up in any current field reports," she told them.

"Oh, we already have a lead," Gillian said.

"Yeah, there was a surveillance camera out by the highway," Dean said.

"Oh, yeah, county traffic cam," the officer said.

"Right, yeah, we figure the camera picked up whatever took them," Dean continued.

"Or, whoever," Gillian said quickly, noticing the officer's confused look.

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage, down at the county works department but, well, you need to do this the right way," she said, standing up and walking to a desk behind her. She began to rummage through a pile of papers on the desk.

"Why don't you fill out a missing persons report," she said.

Dean looked at Gillian as the woman handed him a page. "And sit tight over here," she continued, pointing to a waiting area behind them.

"Officer, look, they're family and we, kinda, look out for them. You gotta let us go with you," Gillian told her.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that," the officer replied, shaking her head.

"Well, tell me something, your county has it's fair share of missing persons, any of them come back?" Dean asked. The officer was silent.

"Sam is my responsibility, and he's coming back. I'm bringing him back," Dean said adamantly. The officer stared at him and then looked at Gillian, who pleaded with her eyes before she eventually nodded her head.

xxxxxx

Dean and Gillian sat on the park bench, while they waited for the officer to come back with the footage from the surveillance camera. "So, are you going to explain about how you're supposed to be a dead murder suspect?" Gillian asked him.

Dean chuckled slightly. "Shapeshifter, a couple months back," Dean replied.

Gillian nodded in understanding. "So, where have you been for the past couple of weeks?" she asked.

"Well, we went after this rawhead and uh, I messed up. 10,000 volts and a puddle of water and I got a heart attack," he replied.

"Oh my God," Gillian exclaimed.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Anyway, the doctors gave me a few weeks to live," he continued.

"What?" Gillian asked, even more shocked.

"Yeah, but we went to Nebraska to what we thought was a faith healer," he continued.

"A faith healer?" Gillian said sceptically.

"That's what I thought," Dean said. "Well, turns out I was right. The guys wife was controlling a reaper and every time someone was saved, someone else died. We dealt with it," Dean said.

"Woah," Gillian said.

"And then an old friend of mine called, said she needed help," Dean said, looking down, a smile playing on his lips.

"By old friend, you mean, girlfriend," Gillian said, nudging him slightly and smiling. Dean blushed slightly.

"Wow, Dean Winchester blushing, she must be special, huh?" Gillian asked. Dean laughed.

"Cassie's special alright," he said, his eyes taking on a vacant look. Gillian smiled and looked down. But inside, she felt jealous.

She was jealous of this Cassie, and the fact that she made the ultimate womanizer, Dean Winchester, blush like that. She was confused at her feelings. She shook her head slightly, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. Why should she be jealous over Dean? She didn't even particularly like him. He was hot, she couldn't deny that but he was also without a doubt a dick.

But she knew that wasn't entirely true too. The fact that he dedicated his life to saving people and protecting them from evil was evidence of this. And the little things he did, like last night, when he covered her with the blanket. She had been barely awake but she knew it had been him that had covered her. And she had felt him brush the hair of her face and the way his hand had stroked her cheek. She wasn't sure. That could have been an accident. But if it wasn't, then what did it mean?

Suddenly, Dean began to talk and she snapped out of her reverie. "Well, we dealt with that problem too. It was this really nasty spirit, in a monster truck," Dean explained.

"A monster truck?" Gillian said incredulously. Dean nodded and laughed.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Oh, no hunts. We all headed off to a Beltaine festival in Boston," she said.

"A Beltaine festival? What's that?" Dean asked interestedly.

"Oh, there are special gatherings at certain times of the year. Each time symbolises something different. Me and Sal aren't really into all that stuff but the aunts go and they bring Kylie and Antonia so we tagged along," Gillian explained.

"All this stuff about witches. I always thought they were bad-ass. But then, we met you and Sally," Dean said.

"You don't think me and Sally are bad-ass?" Gillian asked, in mock shock. Dean laughed and was about to reply when a voice called to them.

"Greg, Lucy!" Kathleen, the officer said as she walked towards them, holding up some pages.

"I think we got something," she said when she reached them. She handed Dean the pages and Gillian looked over his shoulder at them.

"These traffic cams take an image every 3 seconds, it's part of the Amber Alert programme. These images were all taken around the time that Sam disappeared," she explained.

Dean flicked through the pages. They all showed images of the highway but nothing stood out. "This isn't really what we're looking for," Dean said.

"Just wait, wait, next one," Kathleen said. Dean flipped the page.

"This one was taken right around the time Sam called you," she said. The picture was of a large beat-up old truck, pulled up at the embankment that Dean and Gillian had stopped at earlier.

"Look at the back end of that thing," she said. "Now look at the plates," she continued. Dean flicked to the next page which was a close-up of the licence plates.

"Those plates look new, probably stolen," Gillian said.

"So, whoever is driving that rust-bucket, must be involved," Kathleen told them.

Just then, an old rusty van drove by and they looked up at the noise of the engine. "Hear that engine?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Kathleen said.

"Kind of a whining growl, isn't it?" he asked.

"Sure," Kathleen replied but Gillian looked at him, realisation dawning on her face.

"I'll be damned," she muttered.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Four**

**Once again a big thank you to those who reviewed... rae94, lala winchester and xDollfacex!!:D**

Sam was still pulling on the pipe above his head. "What's your name again?" Jenkins asked.

"It's Sam," he replied, tugging at the pipe.

"Well, why don't you give it up, Sammy, there's no way out," Jenkins said.

"Don't call me Sammy," Sam said through gritted teeth and with a final yank, the pipe gave way. Dust sprinkled down on top of him and he coughed, picking up the bit of metal that had fallen.

"What is it?" Sally asked him. Sam held it up to the light.

"It's a bracket," he replied.

"Oh, thank God, a bracket, now we got them, huh?" Jenkins said sarcastically.

Suddenly, the electronic lock on Jenkins door slide back and it swung open. "There must have been a short," Jenkins said, sitting up. "Maybe you knocked something loose," he suggested as he stepped out of the cage.

"I think you should get back in there, Jenkins," Sally warned him.

"What?" he asked.

"This isn't right," Sally told him.

"Don't you want to get outta here?" Jenkins asked.

"Yeah, but that was too easy," Sam said.

"Look, I'm going to get out of here and I'm going to send help, don't worry," he assured them, as he walked towards the door.

"No, I'm serious, Jenkins, this might be a trap," Sam said, urgently.

"Bye, Sally, Sammy," he said as he left.

"Jenkins," Sally shouted after him but he was gone. Sam looked at her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said.

"Me too," Sally agreed.

Suddenly, the door on Jenkins now empty cage slammed shut and locked. "Damn it," Sam said.

"It was a trap," Sally exclaimed.

A few minutes later, they heard far off screams of pain and terror. They knew it had to be Jenkins. Then there was silence.

xxxxxx

Dean and Gillian drove along the highway with Kathleen in her squad car. "Okay, so the next traffic cam is 50 miles from here and your pick-up didn't pass that one so," Kathleen explained.

"So, it must have pulled off somewhere," Gillian said.

"I don't see any other roads here," Dean said, as he stared down at a map in front of him.

"A lot of these back woods properties have their own private roads," Kathleen explained.

"Great," Dean muttered.

The little computer screen beside Kathleen beeped and she looked down. She typed something into it and glanced down at the notice that flashed up and then at Dean. Gillian noticed this and frowned. "So, Gregory?" Kathleen asked. Dean looked up.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I ran your badge number. It's routine when your working a case with state police, for accounting purposes and what have you," she explained.

Dean glanced back at Gillian. "Mmhm?" Dean said.

"Well, they just got back to me," Kathleen continued. Dean and Gillian looked up as she pulled the car over.

"Says here your badge was stolen and there's a picture of you," she said as she turned the screen so they both could see. The picture was of an overweight, African-American man. There was a silence in the car.

"I lost some weight and I've got that Michael Jackson skin disease," Dean began.

"Okay, could you both step out of the car please, because I'm guessing that your badge is stolen too," she said to Gillian as she began to unbuckle her seat belt.

"Look, look, if you want to arrest us that's fine, we'll co-operate, I swear. But first, please, let us find Sally and Sam," Gillian begged.

"I don't even know who you are, or if these Sam and Sally people are missing," Kathleen replied.

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this," Gillian said to her seriously.

"Identity theft, you're impersonating an officer," Kathleen continued. Dean turned to her.

"Please, here's the thing. When we were young, I pretty much pulled Sam from a fire and ever since then I've felt responsible for him. You know, like it's my job to keep him safe. I'm just afraid that if we don't find him fast, if we don't find them both fast," he said, looking at Gillian.

"Please, they're our family," Gillian said quietly. Kathleen shook her head.

"I'm sorry, you've given me no choice, I have to take you in," she began and then she stopped and looked at a photo tucked into the mirror in front of her. It showed Kathleen with her arm around a man's shoulder, both of them smiling into the camera. She sighed and put on her seatbelt.

"After we find Sam Winchester and Sally Owens," she said. Gillian breathed a sigh of relief.

xxxxxx

"There has to be some way out," Sam said.

"Can you, you know, do anything?" he asked Sally. She looked at him.

"Like a spell?" she asked. He nodded.

"It doesn't work like that. I need certain ingredients and stuff," she explained. Sam nodded.

"You know, some people would give anything to have powers like me and Gillian," Sally said. "All those people who sell their souls to demons to be witches. I can't understand it," she said.

"You don't like being a witch?" Sam asked her.

"Sometimes. Most of the time, I don't care. I mean, it can obviously come in handy," she replied, smiling slightly. "But everything comes at a price," she continued.

"The curse?" Sam asked. Sally nodded.

"And you know, little things. Like take animals for instance. If we passed a horse, the thing would be so spooked it would bolt. And dogs, they seem to really like us. They follow us unless we stop them," she explained.

"I remember that dog on the Indian reservation in Oklahoma," Sam said. Sally nodded.

"Yeah, we were worried that you and Dean would figure us out," Sally laughed.

"Why were you so afraid to tell us?" Sam asked.

"All our lives, we've been ridiculed for what we are. People are downright scared of us. Even some hunters. Of course, not all of them but there are a few out there who hear 'witch' and immediately get their pitch forks. And considering the fact that Dean showed up to confront us with a knife, maybe we had cause to be afraid," Sally laughed again. Sam smiled. "Trying to keep what we are a secret is really hard to do," she laughed.

"Did Michael ever know?" Sam asked her. Sally shook her head.

"No, he didn't. I left my past behind when I went to college. I started anew. Nobody there knew me or anything about the Owens women. I thought about telling him so many times. But I thought that if he didn't know about it, the curse wouldn't affect him," she shook her head and sighed. "I should've known better. I mean, that's what my Mom tried to do.

She left and then she met my Dad. He never knew anything. But he still died. Michael still died," she stopped and looked up at him, frowning slightly.

"Sam, after Jessica died, you said that you felt like it was your fault. Why would you say something like that?" she asked him curiously.

Sam sighed and looked down. "If you don't want to say, I understand," Sally said, quickly. Sam shook his head.

"I know your secret. I want you to know mine," he said. She stared at him intently.

"I dreamt about Jessica's death for months before it happened," he said. Sally continued to look at him.

"Remember, in Lawrence?" he asked. Sally nodded.

"I dreamt about my old house and the family inside," he continued.

"And then last week, it happened again. Except this time, I was awake. I had a vision of a man dying in Michigan. I never seen him before but me and Dean went to Saginaw to stop it from happening. We were too late but we met the man's son, Max Miller. Then I had another vision, this time of Max's uncle. We tried to warn him but he didn't believe us and he died too," Sam looked up.

Sally was still staring at him. "Go on," she urged.

"Dean thought the family was cursed so we asked around and found out that Max used to be beaten by his father and uncle. I had another vision where I saw Max killing his stepmother using telekinesis. We managed to save her but Max sealed the house. He told me that his mother died pinned to the ceiling in a fire when he was a baby," Sam continued.

"Like your Mom," Sally said. Sam nodded.

"I told Max that we must have been connected in someway. But he went crazy and locked me into a closet. Then I had this vision of Max shooting Dean and I sorta lost control. There was a bureau against the closet door and I moved it, with my mind. When I confronted Max, he shot himself," Sam finished.

"It's sounds crazy doesn't it," he said quietly.

"Sam, nothing sounds crazy to me anymore," Sally replied. Sam looked up.

"But I'm scared, Sally, that I'm going to lose control like Max," he admitted. "Dean told me that he's not going to let that happen but what can he do?" he asked. Sally could hear the fear in his voice.

"Dean's right, Sam. And I'm going to help him. You're not going to turn into something like that, I won't let you either," she assured him, seriously.

"Thanks, Sal," he said.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-Five**

**Huge thanks to all my reviewers: rae94, Lori-boring-, lala winchester, argentum sententia and xDollfacex!! You guys are great! Thank you!! :D**

"Okay, officer, I'm going to press my luck," Gillian said. Her, Dean and Kathleen were headed back to the car after picking up a cup of coffee.

"You're luck is so pressed," Kathleen warned.

"Right, I was wondering, why are you helping us out anyway? Why don't you just lock us up?" she asked.

Kathleen paused.

"My brother, Riley, disappeared 3 years ago, a lot like Sam and Sally. We searched for him but nothing. I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone and for them-," she broke off and looked down.

"Come on, let's keep at it," she said, as she turned and sat into her car. Gillian and Dean stared after her sadly.

They drove along the stretch of road they had been on the previous night, keeping an eye out for any roads leading off. "Wait, wait, pull over here," Dean exclaimed when he seen a laneway.

Kathleen obeyed and they all got out of the car. "This is the first turn off I've seen so far," Dean said as he walked forwards.

"You guys stay here, I'll check it out," Kathleen said.

"No way," Dean replied. Kathleen stopped.

"Hey, you're both civilians. And felons, I think. I'm not taking you with me," she stated.

"You're not going without us," Gillian replied, as Dean shook his head. Kathleen sighed.

"Alright, you _promise_ you won't get involved? You'll let me handle it?" she asked.

They both nodded. "Yeah, we promise," Dean said.

"Shake on it," Kathleen said, offering her hand to Dean. Dean took it and Kathleen pulled out a pair of handcuffs, chanining them to Dean swiftly. She quickly grabbed Gillian's hand and chained her wrist to Deans.

"Oh, come on," Gillian exclaimed. Kathleen ignored their protests and towed them towards the squad car. The were forced to follow her. She pulled out another pair of cuffs and reached for Dean's other hand but he held it high so she couldn't reach.

She frowned at him but then turned and grabbed Gillian's hand instead and cuffed her to the door handle. "This is ridiculous," Gillian muttered.

"Kathleen, I really think you're going to need our help," Dean called out after her as she began to head down the laneway.

"I'll manage, thank you," she replied, pressing the button attached to her keys and locking the car as she disappeared. Gillian rattled the handcuffs in frustration as Dean searched his pockets.

"I gotta start carrying paper clips," he muttered.

xxxxxx

Sam and Sally both looked up as the door opened and two figures walked inside. They were the same two men from before. One of them was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms. The cage that had previously been occupied by Jenkins was opened and the woman was unceremoniously dumped inside. The man turned to Sally's cage.

"She's not as pretty as you are," he said, smiling and showing his horrible teeth. "Anyway, she's a cop and I don't like cops. But you're not a cop and I like you," he continued as he leered in at her. Sally just stared back at him in disgust.

"Me and you are going to have a good time later on, aren't we?" he asked and he began to laugh loudly. The second man joined in. Sally continued to stare at them, this time an expression of fear on her face.

"We need to carry on the family, you see, so I need a wife and I think you're just what I'm looking for," he explained, laughing even harder.

"You're crazy," Sally exclaimed. "I'm not going to marry you," she cried. This made the man laugh even harder.

"Well, we'll just see about that, now won't we?" he replied.

"Come on, Lee, we gotta go get her car," the second man said, jerking his head towards the unconscious woman. With one last look at Sally, the man stood up and they both left.

"Oh God," Sally muttered, putting her head in her hands.

"Sally, don't worry. We're going to get out of here. I won't let them hurt you, I promise," Sam assured her. She looked up at him and nodded. She was about to reply when they heard the woman groan.

"Are you alright?" Sally asked her. She looked over sharply.

"Are you Sally Owens?" she asked as she stared at her. Sally nodded in reply.

"And your Sam Winchester, aren't you?" she continued as she noticed Sam in the next cage.

"Yeah," Sam replied.

"Your cousins are looking for you," she explained.

"Thank God. Where are they?" Sally asked, sitting up and turning to face the woman. The woman looked down and rubbed her head.

"Oh no, I cuffed them to my car," she said quietly. Sally glanced at Sam who shook his head in frustration.

xxxxxx

Dean and Gillian were both growing impatient when Kathleen still hadn't returned a few minutes later. "Something's wrong," Dean said, shaking his head.

Gillian tried to lift her hand up but Dean kept his hand down. "My nose is itchy," she exclaimed as she tried again.

This time Dean complied but his hand hit her face. "Ouch," she cried.

"It was an accident," he replied. She sighed loudly.

"Great, of all the people to be handcuffed to a car with, it had to be you," she muttered.

"Well, I'm not too happy about the arrangement either," Dean retorted, angrily.

Suddenly, they looked up at the noise of an engine approaching. It was the same whining growl that the little boy had described and it was coming from the direction of the laneway.

"Oh no," Gillian said, as she stared frantically around. "What are we going to do?" she cried.

"Wait, stop moving," he told her.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"The pin in your hair," he said. Realisation dawned on her face.

"Take it out, quickly," she said, bending her head forward so he could pull out the bobby pin. He pulled it free and fumbled with it as it fell to the ground.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, bending down to pick it up and dragging Gillian with him.

"Dean," she muttered.

"Sorry," he replied, as he picked up the pin. The sound of the engine stopped and then they could hear a gate being opened back, followed by two men laughing.

"Come on," Gillian whispered urgently.

Dean leaned over her and began to pick at the handcuff chaining them to the car. Gillian listened as the footsteps got louder and louder. "Dean," she said, fear creeping into her voice.

"I got it," he said finally and she pulled the cuff loose from the door. They both scrambled into the underbrush beside the road and lay low, watching as the two men appeared from around the car.

"I never seen Pa so angry before," one of them said as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Dean and Gillian recognised them as Kathleen's keys.

"Well, he ain't never been followed by the police before," the other man replied. The first man nodded and sat into the car. He started it up and drove down the laneway. The other man followed on foot and they heard the sound of the whining engine again before there was silence.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-Six**

**Ok so this chapter is a bit longer than usual! I couldn't really find a place to cut it off so I continued on with it! :P As always, a big thank you to all those who reviewed: ****Lori-boring-, rae94, Jamiez001 and xDollfacex! **

Sally, Sam and Kathleen sat in silence. Suddenly, they all looked up as, once again, the door was opened. They craned their heads in an effort to see who it was. They waited with bated breath as the two sets of footsteps came closer.

Dean and Gillian rounded the corner. "Sally," Gillian cried, as she hurried towards her sister.

Dean mirrored her as he ran towards Sam. "Are you hurt?" Dean asked him.

"No," Sam replied, smiling widely at the sight of his brother.

"Damn, it's good to see you," Dean exclaimed.

"Oh God, Sal, I was so worried," Gillian said, as she stood in front of Sally's cage.

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" Kathleen asked. They both looked around.

"Oh, I know a trick or two," Dean replied as he glanced at Gillian. He hurried around to the front of Sam's cage and looked at the locks.

"These locks look like their going to be a bitch," he exclaimed as he studied them.

"Well, there's some kind of automatic control right there," Sally pointed out the metal box.

Gillian walked towards it. "Have you seen them?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Dude, they're just people," he replied.

"And they jumped you? Must be getting a little rusty there, kiddo," Dean teased. Sam shook his head as Kathleen looked at them in confusion.

"What do they want?" Gillian asked as Dean made his way over and stood beside her, looking into the box. Sally sighed.

"Well, they let Jenkins go but that was some sort of trap. I think one of them has a certain plan for me, though," she explained. Gillian looked up sharply.

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

"He wants me to be his wife and have his kids," she said, in a disgusted voice.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Gillian cried. Sally shook her head.

"That explains why they took Sally. She didn't fit the usual pattern of a man but they wanted her for a different reason," Dean pointed out. Gillian shuddered.

Dean pressed a button in the box but nothing happened. "But it still doesn't make any sense. Why take all the others?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, well, that's the point. With-" Dean began but stopped and glanced over at Kathleen.

"With out usual playmates, there are rules, there are patterns, but with people, they're just crazy," he finished.

"Did you see anything else out there?" Sally asked. Dean and Gillian were walking around, searching for another way to release the others.

"Yeah, there is about a dozen junk cars, parked out back, plates from all over, so I figure when they take somebody, they take their cars too," Gillian replied.

"Did you see a black Mustang out there, about 10 years old?" Kathleen asked her. Gillian looked over.

"Yeah, actually, I did," she replied. Kathleen nodded and looked down.

"Your brother's?" Gillian asked. She nodded again.

"I'm sorry," Gillian said. Dean looked around.

"Let's get you guys out of here and then we can take care of them bastards," he said. "This thing takes a key. A key?" Dean asked them, indicating the box.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know," Sally said.

"Alright, well, we better go find it," Gillian said, as she and Dean began to walk towards the door.

"Hey!" Sally and Sam both called out. Dean and Gillian stopped and turned.

"Be careful," Sally warned as Sam nodded.

"Yeah," Dean replied as they both walked outside.

xxxxxx

Dean and Gillian made their way across the deserted yard and slipped through a door beside the house. They both stepped into the dark room. Dean pulled out a small torch and flicked it on, Gillian following suit. They began to scan the shelves on either side of them, and were horrified to find that each jar contained grisly remains. Dean tapped the side of one jar that appeared to be holding a brain. "Yikes," he muttered glancing at Gillian.

She continued on and stopped, looking down at the pile of Polaroid photos strewn across the desk. Each one depicted the two men from before who had taken Kathleens car, along with a dead body. They seemed to think that the bodies were some sort of trophies and they held them up proudly, posing with them as someone would pose with a prize animal they had caught.

Dean came up behind her, and stared over her shoulder at the pictures. "I'll say it again. Demons I get. People are crazy," he murmured.

She nodded in agreement. Dean began to climb a stairs and he gestured for Gillian to follow. She began to creep quietly up the stairs after him. They came out on the ground floor of the house and looked around cautiously as they stepped inside.

The place appeared to be deserted but music was coming from a gramophone player in the corner of one of the ram-shackled rooms. They began to creep forward wincing slightly as the floor beneath them creaked. Gillian nudged Dean in the back and nodded towards what appeared to be the kitchen. Following the direction of her gaze, he saw a man inside with their back to him.

They both continued forward, watching the man as they went. Dean stopped short however when he ran into something hanging from the ceiling. He reached out to stop it from jingling and Gillian gasped. Dean stared at the thing in horror. "What the-," he whispered.

He recognised the objects as human bones. He turned to glance back at Gillian, a look of disgust on his face.

They hurried by the door to the kitchen, looking in as they passed by. The man appeared to be chopping something with a large knife. He turned and picked up a handsaw and began to saw at the thing behind him. It sounded like he was cutting through bone and gristle. Gillian gulped and followed Dean into the next room.

He leaned over and grabbed a large stick, with a nail protruding from the end of it and held it out in front of him like a weapon. Gillian glanced over and noticed a box filled with sets of keys. She made her way over and began to pick her way through them. Dean leaned down and picked up a jar from the table. It was filled with teeth. He looked at Gillian with raised eyebrows but suddenly his expression changed and he straightened up.

Gillian listened hard and heard the sound of the floor creaking behind them. They both spun around at the same time and saw a young girl standing behind them. Her hair was matted and she wore a dirty, brown dress. Gillian and Dean stared at her in shock as Dean slowly made his way towards her. "We're not going to hurt you," he said, stretching out his hands.

The girl smiled. "I know," she said, pulling out a knife. She flung it at Dean and it went through his jacket and pinned him to the wall.

"Jeez," he cried, pulling the knife out of the wall behind him as Gillian stepped forward.

"DADDY!" the girl shouted.

"DADDY!" she shrieked louder.

Suddenly, a man appeared from behind Gillian and grabbed her. "Hey," she cried out.

Dean took a step forward but another man appeared in front of him and punched him across the face. He went sprawling across the floor but scrambled up straight away. Gillian, meanwhile, had twisted around in the man's arms and she kneed him in the groin. He fell backwards but the man who had punched Dean, grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her.

Dean ran towards them but the other man reached him first. Dean slammed his fist into the man's face and he went crashing into a bookcase. Dean stood back, staring from the man on the floor to the one who had Gillian. "I'm going to kick your ass first," Dean said, pointing to the man on the ground. "Then, yours," he said, pointing to the other. Suddenly, Gillian saw a third man appear in the doorway behind Dean.

"Dean!" she cried. He turned but the man brought a frying pan down on Dean's head, knocking him out. He slumped onto the floor.

The man holding Gillian pushed her down onto a chair. The man who had hit Dean appeared to be the oldest and the one in charge. "Tie her up," he ordered.

The man holding Gillian complied, tying her arms behind the chair. He looked down at her and grinned. "You're really pretty too, ain't you," he said, twirling her hair around his finger. She flinched away from his touch.

"Him, too," the older man said, nodding at Dean. The second man hauled Dean up and placed him in a chair directly in front of Gillian, tying his arms together.

Dean came to right then and looked around in confusion. He saw Gillian tied to the chair in front of him, and noticed the three men and the young girl standing around, staring at him. "Let's hunt him," the man behind Dean said.

"Yeah, this ones a fighter. Sure would be fun to hunt," the one behind Gillian said. They all laughed.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. This is what this is about? You yahoo's hunt people?" Gillian exclaimed, looking from one to the other.

The man beside Gillian looked down and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're too pretty to hunt," he said, chuckling. "I can think of plenty of other things to do to you," he continued, as he brought his hand down her arm. This made the others laugh. Gillian gulped and shrugged away from the man again. Dean struggled against the ropes tying him to the chair and the older man, who was seated in front of Dean, turned to him.

"Have you ever killed before?" he asked him.

Dean stared at him for a minute and then glanced at Gillian. "Well, that depends on what you mean," he replied.

"I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear, I even got a cougar once," the older man explained.

"But the best hunt is human," he said, leaning forward slightly. "Oh, there's nothing like it. Holding their life in your hands. Seeing the fear in their eyes, just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful, alive," he continued, smiling.

Dean just stared at him disgustedly. "You're sick, Pappy," Dean said sarcastically.

The man frowned and stood up. "We give them a weapon. Give them a fighting chance. It's kinda like our tradition, passed down from father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we've never been that sloppy," he explained.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short, you're plenty sloppy," Gillian muttered. The older man leaned down in front of her.

"So, what, are you with that pretty cop?" he asked her. She just looked at him.

"Are you a cop?" he asked her.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to make me into an ashtray?" she replied. The man beside her grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. She cried out in pain.

He grabbed her face and twisted it towards him. He looked up at his father and he nodded. Whipping out a knife, he sliced through the rope tying Gillian's hands together and dragged her up off the chair. "The only reason I don't let my boys take you right here, is because there is something I need to know," the older man continued.

He turned and began walking towards the burning stove behind him. "Yeah, how about it's not nice to marry your sister?" Gillian replied. The man holding her against the wall slammed her head against the hard surface behind her.

"Gillian," Dean said, struggling harder against the ropes. The man holding her looked down and smiled.

"Gillian? That's a pretty name," he commented as he trailed his finger down across her face and neck. She twisted away from him as far as she could. The older man had picked up a poker and Gillian could see that the tip was burning a fiery orange.

"Tell me, any other cops going to come looking for you?" he asked, turning to Dean.

"Oh, eat me," Dean said. "No, wait, wait, wait, you actually might," he added.

The second man stood forward and grabbed Dean's face. "You think this is funny?" the older man asked angrily.

"You brought this down on my family. Alright, you want to play games? We'll play some games," he said ominously. He stood up and looked around at his sons.

"Alright boys, it looks like we're going to have a hunt after all tonight," he said. He turned back to Dean. "And you get to pick the animal," he said. "The boy or the cop?" he asked.

Dean stared at him in horror. "Okay, wait, nobody's coming for us, alright, it's just us," he told them.

The man ignored him. "If you don't choose, I will," he replied, and with that he pressed the red hot poker against Dean's shoulder.

He burned through his jacket and Dean cried out in pain. "Oh, you son of a bitch," he shouted.

The man leaned down and waved the poker dangerously close to Dean's eye. "Next time, I'll take an eye," the man warned.

"Alright, the guy, the guy, take the guy," Dean said, frantically. The man stood up and took off a chain he was wearing around his neck, with a key dangling from it.

He handed the chain to the man holding onto Dean. "Lee, go do it. Don't let him out though, shoot him in the cage," he ordered.

Lee nodded and turned to go. "What? I thought you said you were going to hunt him, you were going to give him a chance!" Dean exclaimed. The man ignored him.

"Lee, when you're done with the boy, shoot the bitch cop, too," he called after him.

Lee nodded as he pulled a shot gun from a cupboard. "And then you can do with you want with the other girl," he added, chuckling slightly.

"No," Gillian shouted as she struggled against the man that was holding her prisoner.

"We better clean this mess up before any other cops come running out here," he said, turning back to Dean.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

**Again, this chapter is longer than usual! But I do have to tell you that unfortunately the daily updates probably won't be happening anymore, at least not for awhile! Don't worry I'm not giving up on it and when school is finished I'm definately going to have more time! But for now, life is getting pretty hectic and other stuff is in the way! I'll try and update as much as I can in the next few weeks! Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers: rae94, lala winchester and Jamiez001! You guys are great! :D Thank you!**

Sam and Sally looked up as the man walked in. He headed straight for the metal box and inserted the key, twisting it. Sam noticed the shotgun in his hand. "What are you doing?" he asked, warily as the lock on his cage opened.

The man ignored him and pulled open the door. Sam looked down at the metal bracket he had pulled from the pipe and grabbed it.

The man raised his shotgun and pointed it at Sam. "Hey," Sally shouted as he pulled the trigger.

Sam threw the metal bracket at him, hitting him in the arm and the man missed the shot.

xxxxxx

Dean looked up as he heard the sound of the shotgun. "If you hurt my brother, I swear, I'll kill," he threatened. The older man got up and walked towards the basement door.

Another shot rang out. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" Dean shouted.

The man stopped. "LEE!" he shouted down the stairs.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile, Sam was wrestling with the man for possession of the gun. He punched him across the face and grabbed the shotgun. Then he hit him with the butt of the gun and the man was knocked unconscious. He tried to load it but it was jammed. "Damn," he muttered, throwing it to the ground.

Sam walked towards the metal box and opened the other two cages. Sally and Kathleen both hurried out as the doors swung open.

xxxxxx

"LEE!" the older man continued to shout down the stairs. He looked over at the man holding Gillian.

"Jared, you come with me and bring her with you," he said, nodding at Gillian.

"Missy, you watch him now," he ordered the girl. She nodded and pulled out a knife, holding it against Dean's face.

Jared dragged Gillian across the room and followed his father down the stairs. Gillian gave one last glance back at Dean before she too was pulled down the stairs.

They both burst in the door of the room with the cages. Jared held Gillian forward like a shield, as he and his father held their shotguns aloft. "Lee!" the father shouted. "Where are you?" he continued.

He stopped when he saw his son, lying unconscious in the cage. "Dammit, Jared, get the lights," he ordered.

He ran over, towing Gillian, and flipped a switch. Nothing happened.

"They must have blown the fuses," he cried.

Sam and Sally both looked down as the two men entered the next room. They were up in the loft with Kathleen, hiding behind the bales of straw. Sally stopped when she saw Gillian at gunpoint. The two men separated and the father began to climb the ladder up to the loft. Jared continued forward, pushing Gillian ahead of him. Sally watched as Kathleen pulled opened the door of the large wardrobe, beside her.

It made a creaking noise and Jared turned towards it. Raising his gun, he fired three shots through the closed door. He slowly walked towards it and pulled it open, revealing old bits of wire and a metal bucket. He frowned and then turned towards Gillian.

"Come out now or the pretty redhead gets a bullet in her head!" he shouted out. As he said this, he turned and pointed the shotgun at Gillian.

There was a silence and Gillian stared in horror as Jared began to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, a figure jumped on him from above and Gillian realised it was her sister. She clung onto his back and he twirled around trying to throw her off. She didn't let go and then he slammed her back into a pole. Sally cried out in pain as she hit the floor.

Gillian rushed forward and was about to hit the man when he pointed the gun at Sally, who was lying on the ground. Gillian stopped short.

Sam stood up and the father saw him. He shot at him but Sam ducked out of the way. He ran towards Jared as he was about to pull the trigger to shoot Sally. "HEY!" Sam shouted.

Jared looked around and raised his gun. He shot at Sam but he ducked and the bullet instead hit the father who followed Sam in through the door. He fell to the ground. Jared turned back to Sally when Gillian punched him across the face. She grabbed the gun off him and slammed it into his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Sally helped Sam drag Jared across the floor and into the cage. Stepping out, Sam pushed the button on the box and the door slammed shut and locked. They both walked towards Kathleen, who was standing over the father, the shotgun pointed at him. He grunted in pain and clutched at his wounded shoulder. "I'll watch this one, you guys go ahead," she said, looking up at them.

Sam and Sally looked at one another. "Go ahead," Kathleen said again, more forcefully. They both nodded and left.

They started walking across the yard and looked up as Dean and Gillian exited the house. Suddenly, they all stopped and looked towards the barn at the sound of a shot being fired. Then, Kathleen emerged. "Where's the girl?" she asked.

"Locked in the closet," Gillian replied.

"What about the dad?" Dean asked. Kathleen paused.

"Shot. Trying to escape," she answered.

"I think the cars are back at the police station," Gillian told them as Kathleen radioed in for back-up behind them. She walked towards them and stopped.

"So, state police and the FBI are going to be here within the hour. They're going to want to talk to you. I suggest that you're all long gone by then," she told them.

They nodded. "Thanks," Sally said.

"Look, I don't mean to press our luck but we're kinda in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?" Dean asked her. She stared at him.

"Start walking. Duck if you see a squad car," she replied.

"Sounds great to me, thanks" Sam said. They started to walk away when Gillian turned.

"Listen, I'm sorry about your brother," she said.

Kathleen nodded. "Thank you. It was really hard, not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth but," she paused and shook her head. "It isn't really," she ended. Gillian nodded.

"Anyway, you should go," she said. Gillian nodded again and turned towards the others. They began to walk towards the road.

"Don't ever do that again," Dean said to Sam.

"Do what?" he replied, confused.

"Go missing like that," Dean clarified. Sam smiled.

"You were worried about me," he said.

"All I'm saying is, you vanish like that again, I'm not looking for you," Dean said, shaking his head. Sam laughed.

"So, you got sidelined by a thirteen year old girl, huh?" Sam asked him.

"Shut up," Dean muttered as Sally and Gillian laughed.

"I'm just saying, you're getting a little rusty there, kiddo," Sam continued.

They chuckled as Dean punched Sam lightly in the arm. "Now, we gotta walk two miles in the rain," Dean grumbled as they strode along.

"Oh, a little rain never hurt anyone," Gillian replied cheerfully as she looked up at the dark sky. The rain was getting heavier as they walked and the size of the raindrops falling had increased.

After about an hour, they eventually trudged into town. "I need a drink," Dean muttered, spotting a bar across the street. The others agreed and they hurried across, grateful to get out of the rain.

Walking inside, they headed towards a table in the corner, shrugging out of their wet jackets as they sat down. "4 beers?" Dean asked, looking from one wet face to another. They all nodded in agreement and Dean walked towards the bar.

Gillian looked around and her head perked up when she saw a pool table in the corner. "Yes, some easy money," she murmured to herself as she stood up. Sally followed the direction of her gaze.

"Oh, come on, Gilly, not now," she told her, a frown creasing her face.

"Sal, please, please," Gillian begged, giving her sister a wounded puppy look. Sally relented and nodded.

"Go ahead," she laughed.

Gillian's face broke out into a smile. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Like a drowned rat," Sally replied sarcastically.

"Perfect, just the look I was going for," Gillian answered as she turned on her heel and walked towards the group of men around the pool table. Sally and Sam were too far away to hear what was being said from across the crowded room but they noticed Gillian was welcomed into the game straightaway.

"She's never been refused a game in her life," Sally told Sam, chuckling slightly. Sam laughed.

They both looked up as Dean arrived back at their table, clutching 4 bottles. "Where's Gillian?" he asked, a confused look on his face, as he slid into the seat beside Sam. Before either Sam or Sally could reply, there was a large shout from the corner of the room.

They all looked up to see Gillian, a huge grin on her face, striding across the room. The expressions on the men behind her were a mixture of disappointment, annoyance and longing. She threw herself into the seat between Sally and Dean and held up a large wad of notes. "It's like taking candy from a baby," she said triumphantly.

"That was quick," Sally commented.

"They practically threw the money at me," Gillian replied.

"How much have you got there?" Dean asked. Gillian riffled through the notes quickly.

"About $250," she exclaimed.

"Are you up for another game?" he asked her slyly. Gillian looked unconvinced.

"Please, Dean, you'd just be throwing your money away," she told him, shaking her head.

"What? Are you scared I'll beat you?" Dean asked her, coyly.

"Haha," Gillian said sarcastically. "Bring it on," she challenged, standing up. Dean followed suit.

"Hey, come on you guys, enough's enough," Sam began but Dean cut him off.

"Sammy, you're my second," he announced.

"Your what?" Sam asked him, looking confused.

"You'll play for me if anything happens," Dean explained.

"Dean, it's a pool game. What's going to happen?" Sam exclaimed. Dean eyed Gillian warily.

"I wouldn't be surprised if something did happen," he muttered.

"Hey, I'm not a cheater," Gillian retorted.

"I didn't say that," Dean replied.

"Yeah, well, you implied it," she continued.

"Seriously, guys, stop," Sally said. Gillian looked down at her.

"Fine, you're _my_ second, Sal," Gillian said, reaching down and pulling her sister up.

"No, I'm not getting involved in this," Sally shook her head.

"Looks like your second is chickening out, Gillian," Dean mocked. Sally frowned and stood up.

"Who're you calling chicken?" she asked.

"Oh, you made her mad," Gillian warned, a teasing note in her voice. "I may be the red head but when Sal gets angry, you better take cover," she continued.

Sally shot her a reproachful look. "I'm in," she announced. Gillian smiled wider.

"What about your second, Dean? He hasn't made his move yet," Gillian retorted. Dean looked at Sam.

"Come on, Sammy, let's show them what we're made of," he said. Sam shrugged but stood up.

"Fine," he said, tiredly.

xxxxxx

2 hours later, all 4 of them walked out onto the now deserted street. Gillian's winning's had almost tripled, most of the new found cash coming directly from the pockets of Dean and Sam. "Those games were fixed," Dean exclaimed as Gillian waved the large wad of money around.

"Fixed? How were they fixed, Dean?" she asked him incredulously.

"You won 5 out of 5 games. That's impossible. No one ever beats us that much," Dean replied. Sally and Gillian looked at one another and laughed.

"What? What's so funny?" Sam asked.

"Of course the games weren't fixed. How could we do that?" Sally questioned, a smile playing across her face.

"Uh, hello?" Dean said. "You're witches," he announced.

"Really, Dean, we never knew," Gillian told him, shaking her head.

"You cheated. I think we should get some of our money back," Dean said, frowning.

"Don't be such sore losers," Sally said, laughing.

"The games weren't fair. You distracted us," Sam pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" Gillian giggled.

"Draping yourself across the table to make those shots would've distracted anybody," Dean told them.

"We didn't drape ourselves across the table. Good word though," Gillian said, patting Dean on the arm. He didn't look happy, however.

"And what about the crowd?" Sam asked. Dean nodded.

"Yeah, every time we tried to take our shots, they started jeering," he exclaimed.

"They were showing support," Sally said.

"Support for you. They were trying to get us to miss," Sam replied.

"And it worked," Gillian announced, as she tried to stifle another giggle.

"We're serious. That was unfair," Sam said.

"Look, it's not our fault. We won fair and square," Sally told them. She caught Gillian's eye again and the two of them burst out laughing. Dean rolled his eyes and looked at Sam.

"Women," he muttered, brushing by the two of them who were nearly doubled over with laughter.

"Draped," Gillian giggled as he passed and he shot her a dirty look.

Sam followed his brother and Gillian and Sally straightened up. "Oh come on you guys, don't be like that," Gillian shouted at their retreating backs.

"Look, we'll give you half the money," Sally told them. Dean and Sam both stopped and wheeled around while Gillian turned on her sister.

"Half? Are you crazy?" she exclaimed. Sally held out her hand.

"Come on, Gilly-bean," she ordered. Gillian looked up as Sam and Dean returned to their sides.

Reluctantly, she reached down and peeled off half the bills from the large wad in her hand. Then, she shoved them into Dean's outstretched hand. A large smile broke out across his face.

Gillian, however, glared at her sister. "I can't believe you," she muttered. "Sometimes you're too nice for both our goods," she hissed. Sally laughed at her sister and glanced down at her watch.

"It's nearly 1 o'clock," she exclaimed.

"We better go get the cars and find a motel," Sam said. Sally nodded in agreement and they both began to walk down the street towards the police station. They stopped when they realised Gillian and Dean weren't following. Turning around, they were met with the sight of both of their older siblings vigorously counting each of their piles of money.

"This could take awhile," Sam said, shooting Sally a weary glance. She nodded in assent, smiling slightly.

"So, where are you headed now?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"Wherever the next hunt is," he replied. "You? Are you heading home now?" he asked. She nodded.

"Probably. We have to get back to the shop. The aunts run it when we're away but we try and give them a break," she replied. Sam nodded and they both looked up as Gillian and Dean rejoined them.

"How much have you got?" Sam asked them.

"200 big ones," Dean exclaimed happily. Gillian scowled at him.

"Yeah, of _my_ hard earned money," she muttered. She looked up at the building beside them.

"This is it," she told them, entering the car park. The others followed her and looking around, soon spotted their cars in the corner.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around," Dean said, looking from one to the other. Gillian nodded.

"Thank you, for all your help," Sally continued.

"No problem," Dean replied, shaking his head.

"If you ever need to call in a favour," Gillian told them.

"Ditto," Sam said.

"Okay, bye, then," Gillian said, opening the driver side door and sitting in. Sally followed suit and they both waved as they exited the car park.

Sam and Dean watched them go before getting into the Impala and driving off.


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

**Right, I'm back! I'm sorry about the delay.. I was away for a couple of weeks. I know this is a short chapter but I would put up some longer ones in the next couple of weeks. Special thanks to rae94... it was because of her that I put this up! She gave me the boost to keep going so thank you! Hope you enjoy!! **

xxxxxx

Nearly a month passed without incident. Gillian and Sally stayed at home, working a few local, nearby cases but nothing major. It was soon summer and Kylie and Antonia got their summer break from school. Every year around this time, the aunts packed up and brought the girls to a festival, much like the Harvest Moon, in Wisconsin. The aunts had friends up there and they stayed with them for a couple of weeks. The girls loved this because they always learned something exciting there - whether it was a new spell or something about hunting.

On a Tuesday morning in June, the aunts and Kylie and Antonia were busy packing for the trip. Antonia was attempting to fit what seemed like her entire clothing collection into 2 suitcases. Sally was in her room, trying to dissuade the little girl but she was stubborn and refused to back down.

"Toni, you're going for 3 weeks," Sally exclaimed.

"I know that, but what if it gets really cold? I'm going to need warm clothes," came the reply.

"It's not going to get cold. You don't need 7 pairs of jeans," Sally replied, watching Antonia bustle back and forward between her wardrobe and the suitcases laid out on her bed, a huge bundle of clothes in her arms. She dumped them on the bed and began to rummage around through them.

Sally watched in exasperation as she retrieved matching hat, scarves and gloves and placed them into one of the already overloaded suitcases. "Antonia, why are you packing winter clothes?" Sally asked in a strained voice.

"Like I said, it could get cold," Antonia replied, without looking up.

"Okay, that's it. I'm packing your bag for you," Sally stated, striding forwards and grabbing the topmost items of clothing.

"Antonia!" Sally exclaimed, as she pulled out three umbrellas. She held them up and stared at the girl questioningly.

"It might rain," she said simply.

"You don't need _three_ umbrellas," Sally said, mustering as much patience as she could. "We called Aunt Francis' friend. The weather is good. She said it was sweltering up there," she told her.

Antonia frowned. "What does sweltering mean?" she asked.

"Why don't you go look it up?" Sally suggested. Antonia nodded and headed for the door. She stopped when she reached it and looked around.

"Don't touch my bags," she warned as she flounced out the door. Sally waited until she heard footsteps going downstairs before hurrying over to the bags. She took out most of the things Antonia had packed, rolling her eyes when she came upon the 10 pairs of shoes she had tried to squish into one corner.

She quickly repacked more suitable items and was just zipping up the case, when the brown haired girl returned. "I asked Kylie. She said I means really, really hot," she told Sally.

Then, she noticed her newly packed bag. "Hey-," she began but Sally cut her off.

"Antonia, everything you need is in here now," she assured her.

"But, what if you forgot something?" Antonia questioned.

"I didn't," Sally replied, grabbing the suitcase and heading out the door, Antonia trailing after her.

"Are you sure?" she continued as she followed Sally down the stairs.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sally replied. They reached the bottom and Sally dropped the bag beside the door. Turning, they both headed into the kitchen.

"We've got a hunt," Gillian exclaimed, jumping up when she saw her sister.

Gillian had been dying to go hunting for the past couple of days and had been scouring the Internet for any leads. "Where?" Sally asked.

"Richardson, Texas," she replied triumphantly, as she waited for a sheet to print out. She snatched it up and glanced through it. "Okay, shoot," Sally said, taking a seat at the table.

"Alright, about a month or two ago, this group of kids goes poking around in this local haunted house-" she stopped when Sally cut in.

"Haunted by what?" she asked.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit. Legend goes, it takes girls and strings then up in the rafters. Anyway, this group of kids sees a dead girl hanging in the cellar," Gillian explained.

"Did anybody I.D the corpse?" Sally questioned.

"Well, that's the thing. By the time the cops got there, the body was gone. So the cops are saying the kids were just yanking chains," Gillian replied. Sally shrugged.

"Well, maybe the cops were right," she pointed out.

"Maybe," Gillian agreed. "But I read a couple of the kids first hand accounts and they seemed pretty sincere," she continued.

Sally nodded thoughtfully. "Where'd you read these accounts?" she asked.

Gillian paused and looked up sheepishly. "Well, I was kinda getting desperate for a hunt and I started surfing some paranormal websites and I found one," she explained, ignoring Sally's scoffing.

"What's it called?" she asked dubiously. Gillian paused and looked at her.

"," she muttered, smiling slightly. Sally shrugged.

"Fine, we've got nothing else to do," she said, standing up and turning to her aunts just as they entered the room.

"Okay, well, we're all set to go to," Jetty told them.

"We're heading out too," Gillian said. "Richardson, Texas," she continued.

Francis nodded. "Okay, well, be careful," she warned.

"Call us when you arrive," Jetty added. Sally and Gillian both nodded, giving each of their aunts a hug in turn. They followed the two older women outside.

Kylie and Antonia were already in the car, squabbling over something in the backseat. "Girls, no fighting," Jetty shouted as she walked towards the car. They both began to whine at the same time.

"She started it," Kylie began.

"No I didn't," Antonia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't care who started it but I'll finish it if you two don't stop," Jetty warned menacingly as she sat into the car. Both girls shot each other looks of disdain and turned away from each other, to face opposite directions.

"It's going to be a long drive," Francis muttered to Sally and Gillian before joining the others in the car.

"Good luck," Gillian called.

"Bye," Sally said, waving and watching as they drove down the drive way. The girls, momentarily forgetting their fight, both turned and waved from the backseat until they rounded a bend and they were gone from sight.

Gillian turned to Sally and smiled. "Let's go," she said excitedly, prancing into the house to pack some things. Sally rolled her eyes and shuffled after her sister.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty-Nine**

**Okay, a longer chapter now. Sam and Dean don't show up 'til the next one though! Thanks for the reviews I got from rae94, Lori-Winchester and Cici Linne. They mean a lot so thank you! :D Hope you enjoy!**

xxxxx

When they arrived and had checked themselves into a motel, they immediately went to find the kids who had been unlucky enough to find the dead body. They found three of the four, but instead of being enlightened they came back even more confused. Each of the kids had given conflicting accounts of the story, with minor details all different. However, there was one thing they all agreed on: the name of the person who had brought them to the house in the first place. "Craig," they all said in unison.

xxxxxx

After tracking down where Craig worked, Sally and Gillian headed to the local music store. Pushing open the door, they stepped inside and looked around. A guy standing behind the counter noticed them and looked up. He cleared his throat, smoothed back his hair and plastered a smile on his face before stepping around the counter towards them.

"Ladies, can I help you with anything?" he asked them, grinning widely as he looked them both up and down. Sally heard Gillian sighing loudly as she looked at the guy and she cut in before her more volatile sister could say anything.

"Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?" she asked. He nodded.

"I am," he replied, his grin never fading.

"Oh, well, we're reporters with the Dallas Morning News. I'm Gillian, this is Sally," Gillian explained.

Immediately, his hand shot out and after a moments hesitation, Sally shook it, shooting a sidelong glance at Gillian. He turned to Gillian and offered his hand. Gillian stared back for a second but catching the look Sally threw at her she reluctantly stuck out her own hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you ladies," he told them silkily, still holding Gillian's hand. She quickly snatched it away and Craig's face fell.

Sally stepped in and smiled at him and once again, his face lit up. "Um, we're doing an article on local haunting's and rumour has it that you might know about one," she told him.

"You mean the Hell House?" he asked in surprise.

"That's the one," Gillian confirmed. He shook his head slightly.

"I didn't think there was anything to the story," he replied.

"Why don't you tell us the story?" Sally pushed.

Craig nodded and turned, heading back behind the counter. Sally and Gillian followed. "Well, supposedly, back in the 30's, this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in the house with his six daughters. It was during the Depression, his crops were failing, didn't have enough money to even feed his own children. So, I guess that's when he went off the deep end," he said.

"How?" Sally asked.

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick, rather than starve to death, so he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop but he just strung them up, one after another. Then, when it was all finished, he turned around and hung himself. Now, they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringing up any other girl that goes inside," he told them.

"Where'd you hear all this?" Gillian questioned.

"My cousin, Dana, told me. I dunno where she heard it from," he shrugged.

"You gotta realise, I didn't believe this for a second," he stated.

"But now you do?" Sally asked him. He stared at her for a second and shook his head in disbelief.

"I dunno what the hell to think. I'll tell you exactly what I told the police. That girl was real and she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't want to go anywhere near that house, ever again," he finished.

Sally and Gillian glanced at one another. "Thanks," Gillian said, as they both turned away and headed for the door.

"Hey," he called out. They turned around.

"You know, I don't think it's a good idea for either of you to go up there," he warned them. Gillian shook her head.

"We'll be fine, we do this kinda thing a lot," she assured him.

"Well, maybe I should take your number, just in case anything happens," he offered hopefully. Gillian snorted.

"Thanks, but we'll be fine," she stated, turning and walking out of the store with Sally in tow.

They both sat into the car and Gillian turned the keys in the ignition. "Maybe, I should take your number," she echoed, sniggering.

"I dunno, Gillian, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if we did call someone. I mean, this thing goes after girls. It would be a bit reckless of us to just go charging in, guns blazing," Sally stated.

Gillian looked at her. "What are you suggesting?" she paused and stared at her sister, who shrugged.

"Call who? Sam and Dean?" Gillian asked.

Sally shrugged again. "Maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea," Sally began before Gillian cut her off.

"No, we can't go running to them every time we need a little help. We can do our own hunts," Gillian replied, as she pulled away from the kerb.

"I'm not saying that, it's just I think it's better to be safe than sorry," Sally replied.

"Yeah, well, it's you and me, Sally. We don't work with other hunters. The past few hunts with Sam and Dean were either coincidences or definite emergency's. This does not qualify as either of those things," Gillian told her.

"Fine, it was just a suggestion," Sally muttered.

There was a silence in the car. "Wait, is this about something else?" Gillian asked suddenly, turning to look at her sister.

"What are you talking about?" Sally asked her, frowning slightly.

"Do you - do you_ want_ to see them again?" Gillian asked incredulously.

"What? No," Sally said, shaking her head vigorously from side to side. Gillian gasped, a smile breaking out across her features.

"Oh my God, you do!" she exclaimed, laughing slightly.

"Gillian, shut up. I don't know what you're talking about. Just keep your eyes on the road," Sally grumbled, looking away from her sister.

"Which one?" Gillian questioned, excitedly. Sally ignored her. "Please don't say it's Dean because I don't know how _anyone _could-," Gillian began before Sally interrupted.

"Gillian, stop it," she said angrily.

"It's Sam, isn't it?" Gillian asked her. Sally again turned away, her face heating up.

"Oh my God, it is, isn't it?! You're blushing," Gillian exclaimed, laughing openly now. "That is so cute. You two are-" she stopped once again when Sally cut in.

"Gillian, I do not like Sam in that way," she hissed.

"Whatever, you can deny it as much as you want," Gillian teased her, looking up as they reached the desolate house.

It was out in the middle of nowhere and she stopped the car. Sally hopped out of the car ahead of her and stalked towards the house, her brown hair blowing in the wind. Gillian giggled to herself as she stepped out of the car but gave a disgusted sigh when her feet landed in the muck surrounding the car. It must have rained heavily for the past couple of days. "Great," she muttered to herself, seeing the dirt that already coated her shoes.

She quickly squelched after Sally and caught up with her as she looked into one of the windows. Gillian pulled out and EMF meter and began to scan the area surrounding the house. Sally looked up as it began to buzz and light up. "You got something?" she asked.

Gillian tapped the screen. "Yeah, the EMF's no good," she told her.

"Why?" Sally asked, confused. Gillian glanced around and nodded towards the old power lines that surround the house.

"I think that things still got a little juice left in it. It's screwing with all the readings," she pointed out. Sally nodded.

"Yeah, that'd do it," she agreed.

"Come on, let's go," Gillian said, as she walked up onto the porch.

They entered the house and looked around, taking note of the number of different symbols painted on the walls. "The kids said they found the body in the basement," Sally said, nodding towards one of the doors. Gillian nodded and walked over, opening the door slowly and shining her torch down the flight of stairs.

She began to descend down the stairs, closely followed by Sally who held her gun aloft. Reaching the bottom, she glanced around the stone cellar, shivering slightly, as she took in the dark, damp walls.

"It's pretty cold for June," she stated looking around. Sally nodded in agreement, heading towards one of the shelves. She swung around quickly when she heard a scuttling noise behind her.

"What is it?" Gillian asked.

"Nothing, I thought I heard something," Sally replied, shaking her head. She was still unnerved though and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them.

Another noise, this time to her side, caused her to swing around, flashing her torch from one end of the room to the other. Gillian was out of sight, behind a couple of the shelves. She could see the faint beam of her sisters torch illuminating the other side of the room. Sally began to back up, the noise coming closer and closer. "Gillian," she called out.

Gillian looked up when she heard Sally's voice calling out. Turning, she quickly hurried towards the corner of the room where Sally was. She rounded one of the shelves and came face to face with her sister. "What's wrong?" she asked her.

"There's something here. I can hear it. I think we should go," Sally replied, shooting looks all around them.

"Sally, it's probably rats or something," Gillian told her as she turned and began to walk away.

"Gillian, I really-," Sally began again, before Gillian turned and shined the light in her face.

"Sally, what has you so spooked?" she asked. Sally shrugged.

"You're right. It's probably nothing. I'm sorry," she said. Gillian nodded and was about to turn away when she caught sight of something behind Sally.

"Sally, duck," she shouted, lifting her shotgun. Sally threw herself onto the ground as Gillian fired at whatever was behind her.

She turned and stared at the man looming over her. Gillian shot at it again but nothing happened and the man advanced towards Sally, holding a rope taught. She scrambled backwards, reaching for her gun where she had dropped it. Before she could grab it though, the man had reached down and wrenched her up, wrapping the rope around her neck as he did so.

Gillian was reloading her gun but when she lifted it up and pointed it towards the man, she didn't have a clear shot because he was holding Sally in front of him. Sally tugged at the rope, wrapped around her neck and choked when she was lifted off the ground. Gillian ran forward and turning towards the man that was now looming over her, she shot him again at close range.

This time he disappeared and she hurried towards Sally, who was kicking and scratching at the rope around her neck. Her hands began to slip however and Gillian grabbed Sally's gun and shot at the rope hanging her from the ceiling.

Sally dropped to the ground and inhaled a deep, shuddering breath as Gillian ran over and helped her up. "Come on, I don't how long he'll stay gone," she exclaimed, pulling her towards the stairs.

Suddenly, there was a roar behind them and they turned to see the man once again advancing towards them.

Gillian pushed Sally up the stairs ahead of her and turned shooting once again but he didn't disappear. She backed up the stairs after her sister and stumbled through the door, as Sally slammed it shut behind her.

They both ran straight through the front door and collapsed beside Gillian's car, panting. "What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?!" Sally exclaimed, staring at the house.

Gillian shook her head in confusion.

"Maybe your right," she said. Sally looked at her.

"We should call them," she finished.


End file.
